


The Duplicates

by 127ghouls



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Adventure, Attempt at Humor, Be careful what you wish for 'cause you just might get it, Five Taeyongs vs Five Year-old Taeyong, Fluff, How Do I Tag, Kinda, M/M, Romance, Taeyong suddenly has four clones and they're all a handful, Unreliable Narrator
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-24
Updated: 2020-07-24
Packaged: 2021-03-05 07:21:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 21,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25466935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/127ghouls/pseuds/127ghouls
Summary: The older looks mildly interested. “What are you gonna wish?”Smirking playfully, Jaehyun closes his eyes and clasps his hands together. The coin pressed in between. “I wish for five Taeyongs because he’s so beautiful and I can’t get enough of him.” Then, he kisses the coin before throwing it in the water.“You’re crazy!” Taeyong exclaims with a slap to Jaehyun’s arm. “You said it was weird but then you wished for it. Be careful what you wish for, Jaehyunie.” He shakes his head and glances at the water. Somehow, the coin gleams brighter than the others under the faint moonlight.
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Lee Taeyong
Comments: 15
Kudos: 121
Collections: WorthAKingsRansom





	The Duplicates

**Author's Note:**

> > for July_aki13 on Twitter 
> 
> And I'm back! LMAO this one is a struggle because it's hard to depict five different Taeyongs? HHH.
> 
> Anyway, every Taeyong here will have a title before their name so you won't get confused (hopefully), for example: Clown Taeyong, Cat Taeyong, etc. Also, they will be called first, second, third, fourth clone. If there's no title before the name, it's the real TY. 
> 
> Did I just fry your brain cells? I deeply apologize.

There are four less people in the dorm, but that doesn’t stop the noise from resonating within its walls as Doyoung frantically gathers his belongings, stuffing them in a luggage while going on a rant about a few items he bought online.

Outside the building, the snow falls continuously in a light pouring, leaving a thin layer that covers the wide road. It’s pure white with the green leaves of the few trees in a residential area now resembling cotton balls. Doyoung looks up as he zips the luggage close, catching sight of a tiny, growing icicle by the window. “I swear, if my package arrives and I don’t see it when I come back, everyone will be on my watch.”

With him in the living room are Johnny and Yuta just waiting for him to get done packing up. They’ve decided to be smart and tick the chore off on the list last night. Johnny holds back the strong urge to roll his eyes as he shifts in his seat, facing away from Doyoung. “Don’t worry about that. Jungwoo won’t be back earlier.”

As if the real issue has finally come out, Doyoung plops on his ass on the floor in frustration. His legs cage the silver luggage. “He’ll find another way to use it _before_ I even get my hands on it!”

“That’s your problem. You shouldn’t have ordered something that will be delivered when you’re not here.”

“What am I supposed to do? The set was on sale!”

“What the fuck are we even talking about?” Yuta asks as soon as he pockets his phone, previously texting his parents about the exact flight details they need to be looking for at the airport. “What set?”

“ _The perfumes,_ Yuta.” Doyoung says with an emphasis as though Yuta’s supposed to know. “Givenchy! God whispered to LVMH and said they gotta have a price markdown for the holidays.”

“And you can’t afford the original price because…?”

Doyoung huffs before getting off the floor and sitting next to Johnny, straightening his cardigan as he does so. “That’s totally not the case. I just really want to have it ASAP.”

“Well, look what happened. You’re not gonna have it ASAP.” Still a little irritated, Johnny gives the younger a sidelong glance. “Shipping is always delayed during the holidays. Either you get it later or much, much later. The warehouse guys are going back to their families too, you know. Seriously, all the fuss over this.”

Yuta switches his gaze between the two of them. Nobody looks like they’re coming for the other’s neck. “Should’ve bought it earlier, Doyoung.”

The younger purses his lips, reclining against the couch with his arms crossed over his chest. “No way. The set was sold out. Aside from it being on sale, it’s limited. They’re getting rid of the last bottles.”

“Ah, the horror.”

It’s sarcastic, of course. Yuta doesn’t go crazy over designer perfumes. He’s one of the few non-picky members in the group even after earning all that money from being popular.

“But the lovebirds will be here anyway. Just leave a letter and an ID so they can accept it for you.”

“Already did. Just really can’t calm down about Jungwoo taking it since he saw me ordering online and was being all weird about getting a spray or two on his wrists.”

The Japanese shrugs. He really can’t bring himself to feel bad about something so trivial. “Your fault for letting him see. Are we ready now? I have a flight to catch so hurry up if you wanna carpool, cheapskates.”

Johnny snorts before tapping Doyoung’s arm with the back of his hand, telling the latter to get ready. “Shut up, we’re all riding the company van. Where’s the two?”

Doyoung pulls up the luggage’s handle and presses a button to lock it. “Eh, it’s the cuddle weather. What else would they be doing?”

Partly scandalized yet more amused, Yuta marches up to Taeyong’s room at the end of the hall and bangs on the door. “Stop fucking for once and see us out, you horny rabbits!”

He’s about to say more when the door swings open, cutting him off. Jaehyun looks at him with hair resembling that of a bird’s nest. And with the straightest face ever, he says, “Rabbits may fuck a lot but there are times that they don’t, and this is _that_ time.”

Johnny bursts out laughing behind Yuta, leaning against a gawking Doyoung.

Jaehyun rubs the crust out of his eye and yawns. “Four of us are already gone but it’s still loud. What’s with all the commotion?”

His question earns him a smack on the head from Yuta. “Look at this ungrateful little shit. We don’t complain when we hear Taeyong screaming your name for hours when all we wanna do is take a damn power nap, Jaehyun. At least give the guy some time for himself. Oh hi, Taeyong!”

On cue, the group’s leader crawls out of his blanket cocoon and walks barefoot, adorably yawning against his sweater paws. Johnny gags at the sight of Jaehyun giving the heart eyes.

“What is it? You guys are going now?” Taeyong pouts, looking at Doyoung’s bag. “Is the cab there? Or will manager hyung drop you off?”

“He’ll drive us to the airport first. My family will be spending the holidays somewhere else. We’re all sick of Gyeonggi.” All five heads turn towards the front door when they hear several knocks. “That’s him! Will you see us out or what?”

Taeyong looks down. His sweater only reaches midthigh. “Mm, I’ll see you guys again anyway.” Smiling, he steps behind the door and pushes it gently. “Jaehyunie can go.”

“Alright, we’ll see you soon. Don’t forget about my package!”

Barely awake, Jaehyun murmurs indistinctly as he puts a pair of slippers on and follows the older members. They take the elevator, and he watches them hop in the black company van, waving lazily at their manager before going back inside once the vehicle is out of sight.

Back in the dorm, he spots Taeyong coming out of the kitchen with a hot mug of chocolate drink, eyes swollen from sleep. “Are you hungry? I can make you something,” Jaehyun asks before giving his boyfriend a kiss on the cheek. “You didn’t eat dinner and it’s well past lunch.”

“Not hungry.” Taeyong settles on the couch, his side pressed against the armrest. He picks up the remote control and starts flipping channels on the TV to look for classic Christmas movies while Jaehyun snuggles to him. “Baby, what should we do tonight?”

It’s easier to decide on what they wish to do now that there’s no one else to consider. Pleased that they’re going to have the whole dorm to themselves for a while, Jaehyun wraps his arms around Taeyong’s waist and drops a kiss on the other’s shoulder. “How about we go for a walk to the park? Let’s just wear masks.”

Taeyong considers it as he blows gently on the drink, watching the steam get even more distorted. When it has cooled down enough for a gulp, he carefully sips and hums at the explosion of sweetness in his mouth. Unaware of the chocolate mustache, he looks at Jaehyun. “Won’t we get recognized?”

“Let’s just try hard to look unrecognizable,” Jaehyun says and leans in to kiss the chocolate mustache away.

Taken aback, Taeyong giggles as a mischievous tongue licks over his lip. “If we get caught, you’re banned from sleeping in my room for a week.”

“What?” Jaehyun’s face screams devastation. “That’s cruel, baby! How could you be so–” Suddenly, his gloom is replaced by mischief. “Then you can sleep in _my_ room instead.”

Fingers teasingly crawl up Taeyong’s sweater, pressing light touches on his bare thighs causing a blush to creep on his face and quickly spread down his neck. Jaehyun has always been insatiable that there are times the older can’t keep up with the younger’s libido.

“Don’t, not yet. My bruises are still a little tender…” He whispers and hides the shyness behind a gulp of hot chocolate. “Fine, I won’t ban you. But let’s try not to get caught, hm? I miss going out freely…”

Fame has been a welcome shadow over the past five years of actively promoting as NCT 127. With it though, are fans that cannot behave and do not know the importance of letting them breathe. Hopefully now that it’s cold and they won’t survive sleeping outside, it would be easier for Jaehyun and Taeyong to go on a date without worrying about getting mobbed.

At 8pm, they eat at a restaurant hidden from the busiest streets of the city. It’s mostly visited by the elderly so it’s quiet and probably the safest for celebrities. The restaurant’s specialties are dishes invented by the place’s owner himself. The owner slash cook is a kind man his 50s who lived most of his life in Japan, explaining the touch of Japanese cuisine on the menu. Jaehyun and Taeyong have gone there twice in the past and that’s how they know a little of its history.

After a fulfilling dinner, they take a walk and easily blend in the crowd, much to their delight. The thick red scarf covering half of Taeyong’s face helps quite a lot, as well as the many layers of clothes that bundle him up and make him look bigger than he is. Completing his outfit is the pink beanie Jaehyun got for him two years ago, and earmuffs of the same color.

“Seriously, the best disguise is the simplest, isn’t it?” Taeyong pinches his scarf with gloved hands and adjusts it. “I don’t understand why American stars go out looking like E.T. and expect not to be recognized.”

“Are you talking about Leonardo DiCaprio? There’s a lot of pictures of him on the internet wearing the weirdest clothes in public.” Jaehyun absently tugs on the belt of his brown trench coat. Like Taeyong, he has a scarf and a beanie, both black in color. When he looks around, he wonders if he should’ve worn something brighter since it’s Christmas season. “But that only gained him adoration from the fans.”

“No matter what he wears, and even if he grows the longest beard, everyone’s going to love him. His movies are the best, Jaehyunie. We should watch _Once Upon A Time in Hollywood._ ”

Jaehyun gently shakes the open can of beer in his left hand. In his right is a plastic bag containing one more of the drink which they bought from the restaurant. He raises his hand to take a swig, but thinks better of it when a lady rushing towards their direction accidentally bumps to his side, causing the beer to slosh and spill a bit on his coat. The lady apologizes without looking him in the eye, and the couple just shrugs it off before continuing on their way.

“She must be in a hurry,” Taeyong says as he wraps a hand around Jaehyun’s wrist and tugs him closer so that they won’t bump into another. “That’s your second beer. We bought three for later. Are you really going to finish it all before we get back?”

The older pouts behind the scarf. His cheeks are still blooming red, thanks to the cold wind.

“It’s too light for me. Feels like drinking water.” The younger isn’t lying. In the group, he has the most alcohol tolerance. But beer in general has a lower alcohol content compared to soju, so it barely does anything to him. “Let’s just drop by the convenience store near the dorm.”

Taeyong shakes his head adorably, looking like a pup. “Nevermind. If we buy more, you’ll drink more.”

A small cloud forms right before Jaehyun’s face when he laughs. “Hyung, there’s no work for like, at least two weeks. Let me be drunk in peace~” He says as cutely as he can while Taeyong steers them to the opposite street.

Several feet away is the park.

“You’re just a baby under all that manly image, aren’t you? So clingy and whiny.”

Jaehyun smirks and puffs his chest arrogantly. “Same can be said to you! Want me to recount the times I made you mo–”

A gloved hand slaps over Jaehyun’s mouth. Its owner glares like an angry newborn furball as they finally arrive at the small park. “This is a child friendly season. For Christians! Any filthy words shall remain unsaid.” Taeyong scrunches his nose and glances left and right for a perfect spot to rest. “The seats are all covered in snow…”

“Should we just sit by the fountain?” Jaehyun eyes the ten-foot fountain in the middle, designed like a gargoyle. 90% of the statue’s body is seemingly human in shape, and the stone is carved so intricately that the sway of the dress looks almost real. The head is grotesque just like common gargoyles.

The younger brushes off the snow on the concrete enclosing the clear water before sitting down with his boyfriend. “We should’ve brought a rug.”

“It’s fine. Let’s freeze off our asses since we can afford to get sick now.”

Jaehyun shoots a halfhearted glare, at which Taeyong counters by tugging down his scarf and sticking his tongue out.

“I’m kidding, obviously.” Taeyong looks past the other’s shoulder. “Everyone here is a couple too. We missed the kids, Jaehyunie. Could’ve played with some of them.”

“You miss your nephew?” Finishing the beer, Jaehyun squeezes the can before putting it in the plastic bag which he then leaves on the concrete edge. “Give them a call now.”

“I’ll do it tomorrow. He should be sleeping already.” Taeyong looks at the water and dips his finger in, quickly withdrawing it with a light shiver. “That’s so cold!”

Copying what his boyfriend just did, Jaehyun sticks his hand in just to touch the few coins in the bottom. “Is this a wishing fountain? How come I didn’t know?” He pulls out his hand when it starts to feel numb and wipes it down his coat.

“Why, are you gonna wish something?” Before the other answers, Taeyong is already taking out his phone excitedly and suggests they talk to their fans. “Thirty minutes. Let’s wait for thirty minutes. Bet these couples will be leaving one by one.”

They chat idly while waiting for the others to leave the small park. Once Taeyong sees that there’s only one more couple with them, who are sitting far enough not to eavesdrop, he clicks on the V App icon to start an impromptu broadcast.

Jaehyun habitually shoves his face to the camera. “Hello, _sijeuni._ ” Comments flood the screen right away. “This is a winter special live broadcast. No, I’m outside. With Taeyong hyung.” The camera catches the upper half of Taeyong’s face. “You’re all at home, right? Studying? What… Cram school?” He asks in disbelief. “Did you miss your classes? That’s okay. Make up for the lessons you missed. And for those who are on break, spend time with your family.”

Taeyong angles his phone so that it catches him clearly as well. “Jaehyunie can’t give his new playlist for now. Wait for when he’s in the dorm so you can listen to it. Ah,” he says, squinting close to the screen to read a comment asking where they are. “We’re at a park. Don’t follow us, it’s cold outside. Right now, there’s only a few people walking around. I was expecting to see kids, but they all went home. And there’s not even a street concert. We can hear loud music from somewhere, though.”

He scoots back, and his underbutt catches on the edge of the concrete. Beside him, Jaehyun quietly reads what the fans are saying. They’re mostly just ecstatically screaming upon seeing the two of them together. “Have you guys bought gifts yet? I see a lot of people carrying paper bags. What do you guys want for Christmas?” Taeyong blinks and chuckles suddenly, scrolling back to the older messages. “There’s too many comments, calm down.”

“They’re actually asking what _you_ want,” Jaehyun takes the phone and pulls Taeyong even closer.

“Me? But I have everything I want already,” Taeyong says softly. The camera does not include how a gloved hand reaches out to the other. His heart immediately warms. “So, I’ll just wish for all of you. I wish that you’ll get good grades after studying so hard, and eat your favorite snacks because you deserve it. Don’t think about dieting. If you want to lose weight, do it because you want it. Not because other people ridicule you for eating a lot. Don’t let them say mean things to you. Eating will be so rewarding, won’t it? I remember eating my favorite snacks after a strenuous training. It tasted so good that I cried.”

Jaehyun looks at the giggling man in confusion. “When did that happen? Trainee days?”

“Yes. You didn’t know that ‘cause I ate alone in the practice room and you were at the dorm to prepare for an exam the next day.”

“Ah, that. But I did come back because I wanted us to go home together.” Jaehyun nods and gives Taeyong’s hand a gentle squeeze before looking back at the screen. “When we remember the tough times, it makes us emotional. Because we went through hell and now, we’re harvesting the fruits of our labor.”

“That sounds so deep.” Taeyong teases. Even Jaehyun agrees that it does sound like a wise, old man’s words. “What about Jaehyunie? What do you want for Christmas?”

“Hmm, I’m not sure.” He says mindlessly before frowning at the screen. “What’s that? Five what? Five Taeyongs or Five-year old Taeyong? What does it mean?”

“They want you to choose if you would rather see five of me or a five-year old me,” the older giggles once again. “Why are you guys asking him this? I see this all the time.”

Confused still, Jaehyun answers anyway. “Five-year old…I don’t know. It’s weird to have a kid in the dorms with us. Then I wish for five Taeyongs instead.” The thought of waking up to several versions of his boyfriend suddenly makes him laugh. “That would be awesome but scary.”

Suddenly, a clap of thunder appears overhead. A blinding crack in the middle of calm darkness.

“Should we go back now?”

Taeyong looks around before nodding. “Yeah, yeah. There might be a thundersnow. It’s so cold, my butt is a block of ice.” He stands up, touching his ass. It’s a little damp. “ _Sijeuni,_ please enjoy your holidays, okay? The other members have gone home. They might post on Bubble.”

“Bye, bye now. We’re going back to take a rest. Let’s see each other again soon,” Jaehyun flashes a dimpled smile, waving. “Bye, _sijeuni._ ” He ends the broadcast and hands the phone back to his boyfriend. “That was weird.”

“What is?”

“The Five Taeyongs vs Five-year old Taeyong.”

“But you chose anyway.” Taeyong rubs his reddening nose. “I wonder what it’d be like if I had carbon copies. It’s called quintuplets, right?”

“Yep,” As Jaehyun picks up the bag, a coin drops the ground. He picks it up, assuming it’s Taeyong’s. “Is this yours?”

“No? Why would I put a coin there?”

“It doesn’t look like it’s a Korean coin.” Flipping it, Jaehyun becomes certain that it’s probably fake. “There’s only an embossed cross.”

Taeyong bounces on his heels while rubbing his arms up and down, his breaths forming tiny clouds. “Just leave it there. It’s getting so cold.”

Struck with a sudden idea, Jaehyun holds up a finger to Taeyong. “Hold on a sec. Since we’re at the wishing fountain already, should I throw this in there? Not sure if it works with weird coins.”

The older looks mildly interested. “What are you gonna wish?”

Smirking playfully, Jaehyun closes his eyes and clasps his hands together. The coin pressed in between. “I wish for five Taeyongs because he’s so beautiful and I can’t get enough of him.” Then, he kisses the coin before throwing it in the water.

“You’re crazy!” Taeyong exclaims with a slap to Jaehyun’s arm. “You said it was weird but then you wished for it. Be careful what you wish for, Jaehyunie.” He shakes his head and glances at the water. Somehow, the coin gleams brighter than the others under the faint moonlight.

“It’s not like it’s going to happen, though.” Jaehyun holds his hand and they leave the park. They’re so eager to undress and get some of _that heat_ that they miss the cardboard signage behind the fountain statue saying “soon to be demolished”.

Lightning strikes harder.

A passionate night usually leaves Taeyong exhausted and boneless the next day, but he feels abnormally lighter when he wakes up. As though he’s well rested, when he only had 4 hours of sleep. Not even the many bruises Jaehyun left on him could pin him in bed, because even though they look bad, they don’t feel painful to the touch. Taeyong wiggles out of Jaehyun’s arms and gets dressed, noting the lack of sting on his lower back which _has_ to be there given the way Jaehyun ravished him.

 _Well, I suppose this is a good thing_ , Taeyong thinks to himself as he puts on his boxers and heads to the kitchen to make breakfast. That is another strange thing to him, since he almost always sleeps in and only comes out of the bedroom after lunch. But he’s up early today and actually craves breakfast. Even before, he never got hungry after sex.

Taeyong focuses on making some fried rice and some scrambled eggs, as well as getting the coffeemaker ready. The digital wall clock right above the fridge says 8:30, so Jaehyun might stay in bed for a while. He’ll leave him a plate of breakfast anyway should he rise surprisingly early as well.

When he finishes cooking, he puts all the bowls and plates on the table before pouring himself some good coffee. He likes it with a little sugar and cream. Taeyong sits down, laughing quietly since he’s not wincing from pain like he should, and takes a bite out of his scrambled egg.

A minute later, Taeyong hears soft padding on the floor and then Jaehyun’s walking in looking like the perfect picture of ‘just woke up’ with his creased shirt and unkempt hair. The younger yawns and the _good morning_ greeting comes out slurred. He looks so out of it that he just stands there facing the fridge, blinking the sleepiness away.

It’s a funny scene, truth be told. Taeyong is tempted to film him secretly and post it later on Twitter for the fans, but thinks better of it. This is for his eyes only. This kind of natural Jaehyun, unguarded and real. Uncool and endearing. It’s his alone to appreciate.

“Are you actually sleepwalking?” Taeyong’s voice drips with amusement as he shovels some rice in his mouth. “Come here, baby. I made you breakfast. And coffee.” When Jaehyun makes no move to walk away from the fridge, the older gets up and steers him to the table before pouring the rest of the coffee in a new mug and placing it next to Jaehyun’s plate of scrambled eggs. “Good morning, Jaehyunie.”

“Why am I awake,” is the first thing Jaehyun says when he comes back to his senses. The mug is hot to the touch so he picks up the spoon instead and scoops some rice. “I’m supposed to sleep some more, hyung.”

“Are you tired?”

Jaehyun shakes his head and eats a spoonful of rice, his left cheek bulging. Sometimes, he prefers to chew on one side only. He has no explanation to it; just told them he likes it. “I feel energized, hyung. What time did we go to sleep?”

Taeyong’s nose scrunches as he tries to remember. “Around 4. I’m surprised too, because when I woke up, I felt like I had 8 hours of sleep after getting a Thai massage. We didn’t get a Thai massage, sadly. Just eat, hm? Then if you wanna sleep again, you can go back to bed.”

“No, I’m not sleepy anymore.” Jaehyun swallows his food before comically widening his eyes. “I’m wide awake.”

Making Taeyong laugh is an everyday goal for Jaehyun because hearing it cures every illness in the world, he believes so. He takes Taeyong’s hand and kisses the back of it. “What should we do today? Contrary to popular belief, we can’t keep doing each other.” The same hand he kissed slaps his arm. “Aw hyung, why!”

“What ‘popular belief’?”

“Don’t you know? Our fans write stories about us. I’ve read some of them. Do you wanna see?” Jaehyun rubs his assaulted arm and grins. “Do you want to go shopping?”

“On broad daylight?” Taeyong puts the rest of his eggs on Jaehyun’s plate, already feeling full. “I’d say let’s just order online, but you’d insist going to the mall, wouldn’t you?”

“Yep.”

Taeyong pokes the younger’s dimple and drinks his coffee. “Okay, but the malls will be busier. The closer we get to Christmas day, the more people go out.”

Jaehyun shrugs. “A mask and sunglasses are enough. Plus, we both have black hair right now, so it would be less obvious that we’re idols.”

There’s no use trying to dissuade Jaehyun when he makes up his mind, so Taeyong ends up agreeing to the mall shopping. _It’ll be like an extended date, you know._

He gathers the dishes when they’re done eating and washes them as Jaehyun scurries to the living room, talking about the Winter Special performance they prerecorded last week.

“It’s going to start in five minutes, hyung!” Jaehyun places a pillow on his lap and turns on the TV, changing the channel to the music show they’re going to be in. “Maybe this is why we woke up early.” 

NCT 127 is already a league of their own, hence they’ll be one of the last groups to perform. Taeyong finishes washing the dishes, wipes his hands dry with a clean towel hanging on the side of the fridge and follows Jaehyun to the living room. As he makes his way there, he notices another strange thing.

The reason why the dorm feels different too is because it looks kind of misty, now that he takes everything in. Like a hazy film is covering his eyes, and the room seems foggy. Taeyong turns around to check all the windows. Everything is close.

He voices it out when he finally sits down next to his boyfriend. “Jaehyunie, should I go see an eye doctor too?”

Jaehyun looks away from the TV, brows slightly furrowed. “Why? What’s wrong?”

The petite man curls up in his boyfriend’s hug, gripping Jaehyun’s shirt. “I think my eyes are getting blurry. Might wear graded glasses or lenses soon. This is because I’ve been using the computer a lot.”

A little worried, Jaehyun sifts his fingers through Taeyong’s hair. “You sure?” He asks, before his expression shifts to one akin to realization. “Is it because the room looks a bit foggy?”

Taeyong sits up with a soft gasp, grasping Jaehyun’s hand. “Yes! Is it just me? Why? Do you see it too?”

Nodding, the younger begins scanning the room. “There’s no literal mist, but it feels like there’s a cloud in my eyes. Wait a sec,” he says and gets off the couch, hurriedly poking his head out the door. “It’s the same outside, hyung.” Jaehyun comes back to the couch, hugging the pillow this time. “When we go to the mall later, let’s visit an optical clinic.”

“Okay…”

But that’s not the last odd thing to happen to them, because the music show finishes airing after an hour and a half with EXO as the encore performers, and NCT 127 didn’t appear. They’re supposed to be third to the last, followed by Red Velvet.

They’re _this_ close to starting their own version of Stranger Things when Taeyong tries to contact their manager but no one picks up. Same with the other members – none of them answers either calls from Taeyong and Jaehyun.

“Are they busy?” Jaehyun sends Johnny another text before closing his phone.

Taeyong stares at his own with a frown as another one of his attempts to reach their manager fails. “There must be an error, huh? Do you think they lost our recording? They’re probably not picking up too because they’re talking with the management.” A sigh leaves him. “We worked hard on that, Jaehyun. I hope they re-air the whole thing.”

“Or give us our own timeslot.” Jaehyun says smugly. “Gotta compensate for that damage. Anyway, hyung. The malls will be open soon and people usually go later. The earlier we’re there, the lesser the shoppers.” Seeing the crestfallen expression on Taeyong’s face makes him sad, so he pulls the other in a tight, comforting hug. “Don’t worry too much, baby. They will update us.”

“I know, but I’m sad because we might have an eyesight problem too,” Taeyong buries his face on the younger’s chest, playfully biting down. “Let’s shower together?” He looks up innocently, but there’s a hint in that tone that both of them know the meaning of.

Saying no to his sweet baby physically pains Jaehyun, and he doesn’t want to be crippled. So, off to the showers giggling, they go.

The mall is indeed relatively more crowded than ordinary days, but there are relatively less shoppers right now than once 6pm hits.

The first thing they do is go to the optical clinic located on the second floor. Since their profiles are required for record-keeping, there’s no need to keep the mask on while being examined. The optometrist merely hums when she jots down their names and asks them to take off their sunglasses.

 _It’s either she’s being professional about meeting celebrities or…she really doesn’t know us,_ the second leaving a bitter taste in Jaehyun’s mouth.

Taeyong is the first one to have his eyes checked, and then Jaehyun. To their puzzlement, the doctor tells them that there is no need for prescription glasses or lenses. The autorefractor also doesn’t detect the presence of possible astigmatism.

“You are idols–you said, so you must lose a lot of sleep. Sudden blurry vision has a lot of causes, among them are migraine, high blood sugar and eye strain. Do you both use gadgets for a long time without break?”

Taeyong nods. “I use the computer all the time when making songs…”

“You both need to take care of your eyesight. I’m going to give you a prescription to get rid of the blurriness and if it doesn’t disappear, come back here. Alright?” The doctor writes them separate prescriptions and Jaehyun pays for their check-up.

When they exit the clinic, the sunglasses and masks are back on their faces. 

Jaehyun glances back at the clinic as they walk away, committing the name to memory. “Does she really not know who we are?”

“Maybe? I mean, doctors are busy people so they probably don’t really need to be updated. Idols are meant to entertain the young ones, anyway.” Taeyong pats his trench coat’s pockets and pulls out a bucket hat. “Wanna wear this?”

Jaehyun shakes his head before taking the hat and putting it on Taeyong. “You look cuter wearing it. Did you hear from any of them?”

“No, but like you said, maybe they’re still discussing it. SM won’t be easy on them. The other guys must not think it’s a big deal,” the older knows he’s trying to convince himself more than anything, finding a reasonable explanation as to why no one’s talking to them. “Anyway, you got a list of stuff to buy? I have mine…” Taeyong takes out a folded paper and waves it, grinning. “But I won’t buy your gift today because I want it to be a surprise.”

His boyfriend must be unaware of how cute and adorable he is when he talks in that baby voice, because if Taeyong knew what it does to Jaehyun’s heart, he’d be worried. But it’s a good kind of pain, Jaehyun knows. He would love to suffer from it for eternity.

For the next two hours, the couple enters one shop after another. By the time they reach the last of their lists, rows of paper bags are hanging off their arms.

Taeyong takes a nice shirt from the rack and asks the saleslady to give him Jaehyun’s size. It’ll be a pre-gift for his boyfriend. She comes back soon with a small, kind smile, and Taeyong wonders if they don’t really know who they are. They’ve been to countless stores and not a single employee attempted to get a sign or a picture. The clerks are not even that old to be outdated like the optometrist.

He goes to the changing rooms and knocks on the door. “Yuno, try this one on. It suits you.”

The door opens and Jaehyun takes the shirt from him, eyes raking down the fabric approvingly. “Is this for me?”

“Mm! But that’s not my gift! I just want to get you something.” Taeyong pushes him back inside the room and decides to wait there. A teenage boy passes by, glancing at him curtly before disappearing in one of the stalls.

_Well, these sunglasses are tinted as hell._

Momentarily, he pulls the mask down. Sweat starts to form on the skin before his lips. It’s a little hot where he is – the aircon must not work properly. Taeyong wonders if Jaehyun’s doing just fine inside the changing room.

Together, they pay for the clothes at the nearest counter. Out of all the items they bought, only the one Taeyong got for Jaehyun isn’t black. He jokes about it, giggling softly as the cashier tries her best not to join in the teasing.

They leave the store as soon as they get the bags.

“Where do you wanna eat?” Jaehyun asks as they get on the escalator. “I don’t really care where ‘cause I’m starving. I’d eat _anything,_ including you–” He whispers the last part to Taeyong, smirking triumphantly when the other blushes. “But we’re in public.”

It takes a lot of _don’t do it don’t it don’t it_ chanting in his head for Taeyong not to smack his boyfriend. Jaehyun isn’t perfect. He doesn’t have everything. He lacks the brain-to-mouth filter a pervert has to have.

“You thrive off of embarrassing me, don’t you?” Taeyong scratches the corner of his mouth as they get off the escalator and turn to the left, heading to the hall of restaurants. “And if someone hears?”

“We’re gonna be in trouble,” Jaehyun purses his lips to stifle a chuckle. “But no one heard, so.”

Taeyong lets it go when they decide on where to eat, and his slight annoyance completely disappears when they’re done eating.

The food satisfies them so much that none of them even notices that they’re not wearing their masks, yet still, no one seems to recognize them – which is another strange thing to take notice of. The peculiarity of it all would dawn on them if they only passed by Nature Republic, and saw standees and posters of another group.

The couple takes full advantage of the day as they buy tickets to see a movie. Jaehyun dumps the bags on the floor as they sit at the last row, hidden from everyone. “Should we book a ride in advance? It’ll be a hassle to flag taxis down later.”

Taeyong stretches his arms out with a small whine. “Yeah, you go do that.” He takes his sunglasses off his collar and pockets it so it won’t fall before telling Jaehyun to do the same.

It isn’t long before the opening credits roll and Jaehyun turns off his phone, having successfully booked a cab on KakaoTaxi.

Everything seems to go smoothly – the movie, the experience, until the fire alarm blasts throughout the mall and the next second, everyone in the cinema is scrambling to get to the fire exit first.

Since they’re at the last row and the theater is quite full, Jaehyun and Taeyong don’t have a choice but to let the others out first. The fire alarm blares louder as each second ticks by. None of them knows how big the fire is, how close it is. The security personnel disappeared together with the first people to leave, and then they’re left with nobody to assure their safety.

Just as half of the people in the cinema manages to run, a part of the ceiling starts emitting black smoke. Uncontrollable panic fills the room and Jaehyun has to calm down so he can think of another way to protect the both of them and leave the mall unscathed.

A woman’s voice comes over the intercom and announces that firefighters have arrived and paramedics are on their way to give first-aid.

“Jaehyunie, are you scared?” Taeyong cups the younger’s cheek before his hand slides down to hold Jaehyun’s shaking one. “Don’t be, okay? I’m here…”

During school drills, he remembers the constant reminder of his teachers that it’s important to be level-headed in the middle of a disaster. But Jaehyun feels like those practices do not hold a candle to the actual thing. No one is going to be calm and sensible. Everybody is going to save themselves first.

And when he looks into Taeyong’s eyes, sees the faint fear beneath the shield of bravery, he knows he cannot play the nice guy all the time. Those perfect model student awards he got in high school will be put to shame because he’s really not defined by that – not at all.

Jaehyun grabs Taeyong’s hand and pushes through cramped bodies, ignoring the shouts behind them. He closes his eyes as he shoves someone to the side, not wanting to see their face and be struck with guilt. _Taeyong is more important. They’d do the same if they were in my shoes._

True to what was said over the intercom, paramedics are waiting just outside the mall. A man dressed in white scrub suit ushers them to the nearest ambulance to check for injuries. Taeyong is a little breathless so the EMT immediately helps him put on an oxygen mask.

While his boyfriend tries to get as much air back in his lungs, Jaehyun tries his best to comfort the older. He repeatedly whispers things that would help distract Taeyong as the fire alarm rings nonstop. Thick, black smoke billows in the air and he overhears that the fire started from the food court near the theaters. Jaehyun lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

What would happen if they waited to get out of there? The ceiling was just beginning to burn when they ran away. Are the ones that were left behind alright? Did the ceiling burn down? Is anyone trapped inside? These questions keep screaming in Jaehyun’s head and every time he remembers how the people that he pushed aside shouted in indignance, the urge to knock himself unconscious grows even stronger.

He scans with shaky eyes from left to right, not really knowing what to look for. A woman carrying her crying baby is then aided by a firefighter out of the mall and to an available ambulance. Jaehyun is about to turn his attention back to his boyfriend when the strangest thing to ever exist that day happens.

Decked out in full emergency gear, the same firefighter pushes up his visor to take a breath of fresh air. Some parts of his face are smeared with black, and when he wipes it away with the sleeve of his uniform, Jaehyun’s heart stills.

There, five feet away from them is another Lee Taeyong.

Time slows down – he can feel it. His gaze pans in on the _duplicate,_ the way that person rushes to a quint and works on a huge water pump before handing it to another firefighter. That person, the man with Taeyong’s face shouts at his colleague to call for backup because the tank is running out of supply.

Jaehyun looks at the man next to him. Taeyong grasps the mask tightly, his breathing starting to stabilize.

“Hyung, wait a second…” Without waiting for a response, he leaves the ambulance and saunters to the firefighter.

They say that you have at least seven other look-alikes around the world, but this person isn’t just a look-alike. He doesn’t just share the same facial feature or two because it’s the _exact_ copy. Like a clone.

“Excuse me–”

“Give them the ladder! It doesn’t matter if we lose it!” The firefighter climbs over the tank with practiced ease like he’s been doing this for years, and lifts the small lid to check on the water supply.

“Excuse me,” Jaehyun wrings his hands as he tries for the second time. The firefighter still hasn’t heard him. “Lee Taeyong!”

The firefighter’s head pokes out of the tank and momentarily looks around before his eyes land on Jaehyun’s.

“Lee Taeyong…?”

_This can’t be. They have the same face and the same name? I thought there would be next to no chance at all that he has the same name. It was stupid of me to think that – but he’s Taeyong, isn’t he? He’s Taeyong too._

The firefighter climbs down the tank and walks up to Jaehyun. “Do I know you?”

He opens and closes his mouth like a fish out of water, not knowing what to say. Jaehyun looks at where his boyfriend is, still hunched and being tended to by an EMT before turning to the twin. “Is your name Lee Taeyong?”

 _Firefighter_ Taeyong gives Jaehyun a once over before patting the nametag on the left side of his chest once. “So, you’ve seen my name. What about it? Do you need anything, sir? Are you hurt? There are EMTs over there.” He glares at the billowing black smoke for a second. “Or are you looking for someone? There could be people trapped inside.” The previous sense of urgency comes back to him when a colleague asks for assistance. As Jaehyun remains mute in his spot, _firefighter_ Taeyong shakes his head and runs back to help.

When the other’s figure disappears within the burning building, Jaehyun’s legs work again to lead him back to _his_ Taeyong who’s now filling out a paper given by the EMT. “Are you okay now?”

The older nods after handing the paper back to the paramedic. “I said I don’t need to go to the hospital and will just rest at home. Jaehyunie, our gifts…” Taeyong looks at the mall sadly, holding Jaehyun’s hand. “Do you think we could ask for replacement?”

“Forget it, hyung. Let’s go back first – I need to talk to you about something.” Jaehyun presses a hand on the small of Taeyong’s back as he ushers them out of the scene, quickly flagging down an incoming taxi. He gets in after Taeyong and watches the chaos as they are driven farther away from it.

Worried about the younger’s behavior, Taeyong tugs on his coat to make the other look at him. “What is it? Why are you–” He clicks his tongue in irritation and stops Jaehyun’s leg from anxiously bouncing. “Stop it. What’s going on?”

“At home, hyung.” Jaehyun takes out his phone and tries to call the manager, but it doesn’t go through. He faces the window with a huff, trying to ignore the burning stare on the back of his head.

“Baby, what’s going on?” Taeyong asks as he closes the door and takes off his coat. “You’re scaring me–“

“I saw you.”

“What?”

Jaehyun paces back and forth, rubbing his temple. “Outside the mall. I saw you.” Their gazes meet and he knows right from the way Taeyong looks at him that he thinks Jaehyun to be out of his mind. “Don’t give me that look, hyung. I’m not crazy. I saw _you._ Another you. There’s another man who looks exactly like you!” He storms towards the older and stops a mere inch away, eyes wide. “Are you sure you don’t have a twin?” He asks in a surreptitious whisper.

“I _don’t,_ Jae.” Taeyong emphasizes it with a confused glare and a step backward, head shaking in disbelief of the younger’s actions. “There’s only noona and me. Are you really alright? You didn’t hit your head, do you?”

“…How would I even hit my head?” Frustratedly, Jaehyun rakes both hands through his hair as he turns around, takes a deep breath and faces Taeyong again once he’s gathered his thoughts. “Hyung. He looks just like you. He’s one of the firefighters. When I left your side, I went and talked to him. Didn’t know what to say so for some stupid reason, I called him by _your_ name. And guess what?” A sardonic, airy chuckle leaves him. “He looked me in the eye and showed me his goddamn nametag – which says _Lee Taeyong,_ by the way. I’m not shitting you.”

“Really…?”

How ridiculous. Taeyong knows better than to believe a word Jaehyun says – his boyfriend must be in shock, but saying that out loud might make things worse than remedy it. So to mollify him, he takes out his phone and calls his mother, not looking away from Jaehyun even as the call is picked up. “Mom? Hi! How are you? I’m fine – wait, listen. You know that mall on the news? I don’t know if it’s already on tv but a part of it is burning and we were there. What?”

A loud, scratchy noise comes from the other line and Taeyong has to pull the phone away for a second to look at it, inevitably breaking the eye contact. “I’m okay. But one of the firefighters that responded is my carbon copy, and I want to know – do I have a twin?”

At first, there’s only silence stretching between Taeyong and his mother that he almost thought she hung up on him, but then she’s suddenly screaming, yelling about how crazy he is to accuse her of abandoning a child – which she didn’t do because there was only one of him, and even if he had a twin, the thought of putting up one of her kids for adoption would _never_ cross her mind. Taeyong picks his ear and places the phone in front instead. “Fine! Fine, I get it. No twin. Just noona and I. I don’t know, mom. I might be crazy after all. Jaehyun was the one who saw the carbon copy.”

His face crumples, and Jaehyun gestures for him to continue talking. “What do you mean _who’s Jaehyun_? He’s my boyfriend. NCT 127? Rings a bell?”

 _No, it doesn’t ring a bell. What the hell is that,_ his mother says and before Taeyong can speak again, the call drops. He tries to call her back but his batt dies on him. “Is she on drugs?”

Jaehyun snatches his phone. “She’s not on drugs. She doesn’t know who I am? She doesn’t know NCT?” Huffing, he takes out his own phone and pulls up Naver and Google, entering their group name before showing the ‘ _ZERO RESULTS_ ’. “Nobody knows NCT. Because it doesn’t exist.” He sits down on the couch, staring at the tv as Taeyong occupies the space beside him. “SM isn’t calling us, none of the other members are talking. That’s because – that might be because they don’t exist here. Whatever this world is.”

It sounds _eccentric_ to say the least, but nothing has been normal since the moment he woke up early feeling refreshed, vision misty. “Hyung, we could be dreaming right now.” Jaehyun looks at the older. “Don’t freak out, alright? It could be why there seems to be a faint fog around. We’re dreaming.”

Taeyong stares at him like he’s grown two more heads before heading to each member’s room, and coming back horrified. “Their things are gone. The rooms are basically empty.” He then pinches his cheek, hard. “ _Ouch._ We are definitely not dreaming. Jaehyun, what’s happening?”

There’s no need to think too hard because the events of last night crash into his brain like an open floodgate. “Oh, fuck. Hyung…” He says, building suspense as he matches the older man’s bulging eyes. “The fountain! I wished for five Taeyongs, right?!”

“That can’t be real–”

“But I already saw the first clone! What do we do? This is a curse,” Jaehyun gets up and returns Taeyong’s phone. “We must break the curse. Is it possible to make a reverse wish?”

Taeyong gapes, totally useless.

“We should go back to the park and try, at least.” Jaehyun swings the door open, steps out and looks back at his paralyzed boyfriend. “Are you coming or what?”

Pulled out of trance, Taeyong blinks a few times and scans the room before following Jaehyun outside.

They ought to go back to the park and make a different wish – fully knowing that there’s little to no guarantee that it will work, only to see _nothing_ in the middle of the snowy park. What only await them are the tiny stone debris that lay where the fountain previously stood.

It could’ve been transferred to another location, right? Possibly. And the city hall can tell them where the fountain is.

The couple hopefully goes there and is greeted with a dead end.

Jaehyun rubs a hand down his face and scoffs. “What do you mean it was _demolished_?”

The lady at the front desk slouches in her seat unprofessionally while filing her nail, regarding the two with boredom. “The park is going to be renovated. Something else will be put there, hence the demolition. There is nothing more I can do for you, sir.” She drags the chair close to the desk and types away on the computer. “If you really want to make that wish, you can go to another city; they have fountains too.”

Her sarcasm bruises Jaehyun’s ego, so he doesn’t hold back anymore with the death glare sent her way. “When this is all done, I will report you, Ms. Park.” Jaehyun dusts off his hands and raises a brow. “And slow down on the lip fillers. Didn’t know they hired Tweety Bird for reception.”

She can point fingers at him and call him petty all she wants, but Jaehyun has more problems to take care of.

_How the fuck are they going to undo this without the fountain?_

Taeyong drags his boyfriend far away from the office that the receptionist won’t find them, and anxiously chews on his hangnail. “If your wish indeed came true, then there are three more Taeyongs walking freely in Korea – maybe even in a different country!” Dread fills his chest. “We need to come up with an alternative plan, Jaehyun. Should we find the three Taeyongs? You already saw the first one. Let’s talk to him!”

They don’t have any other choice but to do what they think will help. There’s nothing more to lose by gathering them and slapping himself with the reality of his idiocy, right? Aside from their career, and everything related to them might disappear one by one the longer they stay in this fucked up realm.

No, this isn’t fun. This isn’t awesome. If only Jaehyun could turn back time, he’d stuff his mouth full (with Taeyong, preferably!) to have an excuse not to answer that _sijeuni_ ’s question.

The next day, they both head to the nearest fire station to ask about the firefighter. He can’t possibly be from another area since his team only brought a quint yesterday, which means it came from a small and nearer station. They only have to ask the first person they see inside to confirm it. A second Lee Taeyong is in fact, existing and working as a full-time firefighter. Jaehyun politely asks the man to call _firefighter_ Taeyong for him, and tells _idol_ Taeyong to wait at the café in the next street.

“He will freak out and retreat in the station if he sees you right away.”

“What makes meeting me inside a café any different?”

Jaehyun squints. “He won’t make a scene there because it’s not his territory. Now go, hyung.”

The younger watches his lover enter the café, and the clone chooses that time to finally appear.

“You again?” _Firefighter_ Taeyong is a lot more ripped as compared to his sweet baby. The fitted sweater allows Jaehyun to clearly see the difference in their sizes, at least.

It’s probably from the rigorous physical training. Jaehyun sighs and offers his hand which the other shakes shortly. “It’s me. Jeong Jaehyun. I’m sorry if I came off weird yesterday, and I’m glad that you didn’t get hurt in the rescue. Thank you for helping…” He pauses and feels the heat of embarrassment spread over his face from the ears. “May I have a bit of your time today? That’s if you’re not working…”

 _Firefighter_ Taeyong glances at a colleague over his shoulder and looks at Jaehyun with a hint of suspicion. “Is this important?”

“You have no idea.”

“Very convincing. If you try something, you’re gonna get hurt. Understand?” _Firefighter_ Taeyong’s threat doesn’t deter Jaehyun as he leads the way to the café, making sure that the clone is following.

The two Taeyongs stare at each other. One minute, two minutes, three minutes pass by, and Jaehyun snaps his fingers to cut that invisible string connecting the twins’ eyes. “Another minute of this staring contest and I’ll have a stroke.”

 _Firefighter_ Taeyong casts an unreadable glance at him before diverting towards _original_ Taeyong. “I’m an orphan. There is no way I could ask my parents if they were my biological folks or not.” A waitress arrives with a tray of their orders, and _firefighter_ Taeyong drags the slice of cake to him with a finger. It’s _original_ Taeyong’s order. “Is this what it is, you’re trying to look for a long-lost twin?”

Taeyong (the original!) bites his lip. He can’t even bring himself to get mad over the loss of his cake. “So, you think that we could be twins? I called my mom…but she only got mad at me.”

“Is there any other explanation to this? If you believe in paranormal, we could play the Ouija board over my folks’ graves later.” _Firefighter_ Taeyong says oh so casually while helping himself with the stolen cake. “They’re buried at the city cemetery.”

The couple exchanges a look. Jaehyun then regards the man opposite them determinedly. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but–”

“You mean to say that you’re about to tell me something worse than what I just said?”

“–sad to say, you two are not twins. But _you_ are definitely a clone.”

 _Firefighter_ Taeyong cleans his spoon, slowly puts it down and crosses his arms. Jaehyun translates it to ‘humor me’.

“Alright. So, I made a wish the other night, you know the traditional throw a coin to the fountain, and said it’d be cool to see five versions of _him_ ,” Jaehyun gestures to the original Taeyong sipping his coffee. “Then the next day, things have changed. Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty – as a matter of fact, there are now clones of him and you are the first one we found. And this can’t go on, you get me? We are idols, but our identities have been wiped out. We can’t lose that life. Our families and friends might disappear, too. We’re not sure as to what’s the right thing to do to reverse this but gathering all five Taeyongs might help.”

The couple expects Taeyong no.2 to call them lunatics and walk out of the café, but the clone fishes out a small, plastic object from his pocket, turns it on and flashes the light directly on Jaehyun’s eyes. “Delirium is a serious matter.”

Jaehyun swats the flashlight out of his face and lets it roll on the floor. Fuck apologizing. “I’m not crazy and I will say this again and again to all the next Taeyongs we find. _Please,_ ” he purposely tones down his voice. They’re the ones that need the clone’s help anyway. “Doesn’t this disturb you? You two look the same and share the same name. We badly need your cooperation until we find the three others.”

The crease between _firefighter_ Taeyong’s brows makes him look more intimidating than he already does. “I’ll have you know I’m taking this bullshit with a grain of salt, Jeong Jaehyun.” He picks up the spoon and continues eating the cake. “My holiday leave is supposed to be for volunteering at an animal shelter, but this could be fun too.”

Taeyong mindlessly taps his finger on the tiny cup, eyes wide and glassy. “You’ll come with us?” To say that he feels weird looking at another him is an understatement. It’s unsettling and his skin crawls, but he has to suck it up. Hiding is not an option.

“What did you say were your jobs again?”

“…Idols.”

“Ah, the pretty singers.” Taeyong no. 2 sounds like he has a deep-seated grudge against such profession. “You’re saying that you’re not celebrities anymore? Don’t you have an agency?”

Prototype Taeyong sighs. His hair falls over his eyes and even the clone thinks his twin looks endearing. “SM still exists, they just don’t have NCT 127 anymore. We tried contacting them but they’re not answering.”

The firefighter finishes his stolen cake and takes a sip of the drink Jaehyun got for him. “This whole thing hasn’t sunk in me yet. What do you feel, though?”

“Scared,” Jaehyun says point-blank.

Unreadable eyes meet his pleading ones. “Predictably. Pray tell, if you gather all of us and make a wish – what does that mean to _the duplicates_? Will it wash away our memories, change our identities, or do we simply vanish?” The firefighter props an elbow on the table and cups his chin. “That’s fucking cruel, don’t you think?”

 _Idol_ Taeyong fidgets under the clone’s intense, challenging gaze. “We’re all being tormented here. But you need to understand that we believe this is a curse and the one who’s going to suffer the brunt of it all is me. Do you think that you actually existed before this?”

“I have memories of growing up.”

“But do you feel like you actually went through them when you think about each memory?”

“…Fuckery aside, the theories about parallel universes might actually be true.” _Firefighter_ Taeyong takes his twin’s cup and shamelessly downs the remaining coffee, ignoring Jaehyun’s menacing glare. “But what if there are no other Taeyongs? What if they’re all over the world and we never find them? You’re going to stay here and watch every piece of you fade.” A smirk appears on his face. “Sounds like an adventure.”

As they have no concrete plans yet on how to look for the other Taeyongs, the couple decide that it’s best that they go home for the meantime. The firefighter leaves his number to Jaehyun and swears that he won’t run away.

Currently, Taeyong sits in front of the tv with a tub of ice cream on his lap. A foreign action movie is playing but no matter how powerful the scenes are, they can’t take his mind away from the looming problem on their heads.

“He’s sincere, isn’t he?”

Jaehyun removes one of his airpods and looks at the gloomy man. “We can always hunt him down if he runs away.”

“What if he disappears before we do?”

“That wouldn’t happen if the parallel universe is true, and we’re all struck in a common world.” Jaehyun refreshes the open browsers on his phone, biting back a curse when they fail to load. He’s been trying to search for the other Taeyongs online but it seems like the heavens are dead set on preventing them from breaking the curse anytime soon. “When I said I wanted us to have some time for ourselves, just the two of us, this isn’t what I meant. Can you imagine a life without our friends?”

“I imagined my dreams with all of you.”

Jaehyun crawls towards his boyfriend and hugs him from behind, resting his chin on Taeyong’s shoulder. “First of all, I’m really sorry. This is my fault, hyung.” He gently tugs aside the collar of Taeyong’s shirt to kiss the junction between his neck and shoulder. “Regardless of what happens, I’ll be with you.”

That seems to appease the older at the moment. Taeyong smiles and smears some ice cream on the tip of Jaehyun’s nose. “Love you, baby.”

“Love you too, tiny.”

“I’m not tiny!”

“Yes, you are.”

“Take that back!” Taeyong giggles as he sets aside the ice cream and straddles Jaehyun, clutching his shirt to playfully jostle him. “You’re just taller but I have broader shoulders!”

Taeyong jostles him harder and Jaehyun loses his balance, the remote control digging on his side as he falls on his back. The channel then changes to a news report about attempted bank robbery.

It’s supposed to only dash through their ears while playing until Jaehyun sees the CCTV footage of thieves scampering away from the bank. The side profile of one of the thieves’ face zooms in.

Jaehyun blanches at the sight of a familiar rose scar next to the guy’s right eye.

“Hyung,” he grips both of Taeyong’s hands and pushes himself up in a sitting position before pointing at the news. “Hyung, look!”

Taeyong turns around to look at whatever Jaehyun’s looking at and gasps sharply.

The second clone is a thief in Jeju.

_Jocheon-eup_ is one of the 7 towns in Jeju province. The trio thinks they can find the second clone there considering that the bank that was almost robbed was in the same location. Luckily, the authorities haven’t named their primary suspect yet due to lack of evidence, being the poor CCTV footage their primary source. The only thing they have on the thief is his scar.

With that, Taeyong does his best to hide his scar with make-up. And even though _firefighter_ Taeyong vehemently opposes it, he ends up letting his twin dab a concealer on his face.

They arrive in Jeju haggard and knackered. It’s harder to get tickets due to the influx of people travelling for vacation, hence the inconvenient trip schedule. Since it’s dangerous to go around at night in a place they’re not very familiar with, they unanimously take a rest a hotel.

Taeyong puts his bag at the foot of the bed and sits down, patting the soft mattress. The hotel is cheap but decent and the room is actually very spacious for its price. A lone lamp sits on one of the nightstands flanking the bed. Illuminating the room is a single white bulb. There is a small tv at the corner, and the bathroom is cramp but clean. The bed dips lower with Jaehyun’s weight.

“Jocheon-eup’s population is 20,700. Where are we going to start looking?”

Jaehyun looks up from taking off his shoes. “I’ve thought about it earlier. The bank is one kilometer away. The news said that the sole witness described the group to be a bunch of teenagers. We can’t know for sure where they live, but someone from the rich neighborhood is less likely to attempt theft as compared to someone from a poor family.” He rolls his socks and shoves them inside his shoes. “There are less fortunate everywhere, hyung. We can ask around where they live.”

“Why haven’t the cops thought of that?” Astonishment sparkles in Taeyong’s eyes. “Baby sounds so smart…”

“It’s probably mean to think of the poor like that, but we gotta start on the more plausible scenario.” With open arms, Jaehyun accepts his boyfriend in a loving embrace. “And let’s be glad that they’re not doing anything about it. Besides, the bank wasn’t robbed anyway.”

Bony fingers thoughtlessly pop the buttons of the younger’s shirt. Taeyong sighs before nuzzling Jaehyun’s neck to calm his nerves. “I felt scared when I met my first clone, but this one is making me sad. Why didn’t the world become nice to him? The firefighter seems to be doing just fine. I hope the rest of them are alright. Not just because we have an agenda, but also because they’re _me._ And I wouldn’t want them to suffer.”

He pulls back with a tiny smile, eyeing the other’s lips. “Let’s not waste time, okay? After breakfast, let’s look for him.”

Bundled up in their winter clothes, the trio then leave the hotel to start the quest for the next clone. _Firefighter_ Taeyong lightly dabs the pad of his middle finger where his rose scar is hidden under a layer of make-up and makes face as he rubs it on his thumb. “Will this not melt off my face?”

Idol Taeyong shakes his head while fixing his pink earmuffs. “That’s expensive and has good quality. Our make-up artist gave it to me last month.” The scarf is adjusted next, slightly tugged to cover his mouth when a local eyes them. “I have an extra for your dark circles, if you want.”

In disbelief at his twin’s implication, firefighter Taeyong rolls his eyes. “Seriously? At 10am? I’d be sleeping in ‘til noon.”

“It’s already late, actually. We slept through the alarm. How about you? Do you have an excuse?”

“Yeah, my back injury hasn’t healed yet. Mall rescue, rings a bell? I fell off the ladder trying to unlock a window. Thanks for your concern.”

Taeyong gasps and tugs behind the first clone’s coat. “Why didn’t you tell us! Is it bad? Let me see–”

An arm wraps around his waist to drag him back and when he looks up, Jaehyun has an unamused look grazing his features. “He won’t die, don’t fret.”

Boredly, the firefighter regards Jaehyun. “You’re one jealous thing, aren’t you? Chill, okay? I don’t fancy my clone. This is already weird as it is. Now, where are we going?”

“Please make yourself useful and ask anyone if there’s a slum area nearby.”

“Mm,” firefighter Taeyong wags a finger warningly. “Watch your tone. You were just begging me last time. I should’ve made you kneel before agreeing. Tsk.” Leaving the duo with a huff to approach the old lady walking ahead of them, his previous vexation is suddenly gone and replaced with striking politeness. “Excuse me, _ahjumma_. Do you know if there’s a slum neighborhood here?” He gestures towards his companions. “We’re from Seoul, visiting a friend.”

The old lady says something the couple cannot hear, and points ahead. Firefighter Taeyong bows a few times while thanking her and rejoins the two. “Two kilometers. Just behind the Swiss Village.”

“A Swiss Village?” Jaehyun repeats. “Ah, I think I’ve seen some pictures of it once. Really gives off a foreign vibe.”

They walk in comfortable silence through a snowy road. A snowflake lands on Taeyong’s nose and quickly melts away. “Do you think this clone will take it in stride? I imagine he’d try to shoo us away before slamming the door on our faces.”

“That’s expected. We just need to be persistent.” Jaehyun says, tapping his phone repeatedly. Like the others, the message he’s trying to send Taeil fails yet again. “All texts aren’t sending. This could mean that the guys are already disappearing…” It hurts to admit that but it’s becoming transparent now.

“And he’s not because his twins are here,” the firefighter pertains to his twin. “What about you, Jaehyun? You’re not vanishing because you were the one who made the wish?”

“Maybe so.” The undeniable irritation bubbles within Jaehyun. There’s something about this clone that ticks him off every time. He didn’t feel it that day he first saw him because he was more stunned and agitated then. But after the whole flashing-light-at-him, the impression just keeps going south. “Let’s look around. The thief might be out and about early.”

“And what for? He wouldn’t be so brave to commit daylight theft when the failed bank robbery’s still hot in the news.”

Jaehyun shrugs.

“Don’t you feel bad for him?” Sweet Taeyong asks, not once sensing the dull tension. “We’re like…siblings in a sense.”

“Huh. I grew up alone. What makes you think I’d suddenly yearn for a sibling’s presence?”

“Touché,” Taeyong says. “I probably feel protective because I have a sister and a small nephew.”

Seeing the poor neighborhood just behind the Swiss Village is like unwrapping a pretty box and seeing crumpled newspaper inside. The Swiss Village is a front to lie about the real state of the unfortunate families.

The houses are tiny and built too close to one another. Hollow blocks sit on rusty roofs to keep them in place during a harsh weather. Dirty, torn fabrics serve as curtains, and there’s not even a color that stands out amidst a swarm of depressing gray. It’s ugly and pitiful, to say the least.

As soon as they step foot in there, they go house to house asking for Lee Taeyong. Each time the residents hear that name, their immediate response is a quick shake of their head, followed by the door or window closing.

“It’s either they really don’t know who he is, he doesn’t live here, or they’re hiding Taeyong no.3.”

“What would they get out of harboring him?”

A sudden cry distracts them. Taeyong looks up and sees a little girl slumped on the ground, wailing. He rushes towards the poor kid and helps her stand, brushing the snow off her small dress. It looks like it needs some good washing. “Be careful, little one. Does it hurt?” He wipes the rivulet of tears on her tiny, angelic face.

Instead of answering, the little girl stares confusedly at him before grasping his fingers. “Oppa?” Sniffling, she looks behind her then back at Taeyong to tug on his scarf. “Oppa?”

“Yes? Are you hurt anywhere?” Taeyong asks her again.

The little girl blinks away her tears and touches the man’s cheek.

Right then, a sharp, needle-like pain fleetingly spreads in Taeyong’s chest. He gasps, gripping his coat as the girl continuously gives him a bewildered stare.

 _This_ feeling – he remembers this. While he was sitting in that ambulance with an oxygen mask and Jaehyun went somewhere, he experienced the same chest pain. Taeyong wonders why, and soon realizes that it happened the first time he and his firefighter clone stood in the same place at the same time.

“Nari! Lee Nari! I told you not to go out!”

Taeyong’s eyes snap towards the owner of _that_ voice and sees _him,_ dressed in tattered clothes and shivering as _he_ stands frozen, shocked at the sight of _his_ two carbon copies.

 _Thief_ Taeyong slaps himself awake.

Beside an equally stunned Jaehyun, the firefighter raises a brow in amusement. “Well?”

As expected, the thief slams the door close on their faces when they attempt to talk to him. It goes on for several minutes, pleading and rejecting, until the second clone finally gets sick of Jaehyun knocking on the door and reluctantly lets them in.

The thief duplicate warily sits on the single bed with Nari in his arms. Firefighter Taeyong takes it upon himself to light the obviously unused fireplace using the pieces of wood he found scattered on one corner and a blow torch he packed for emergency.

There is no other furniture in the ramshackle house aside from the bed and wooden table so Taeyong spreads his coat on the floor to sit on, uncaring if it’s unclean. Jaehyun remains standing by the door. The space is so small, it makes them question _how_ a whole family can live there.

“Where are your parents?” Taeyong asks a safe, starting question. 

“…They’re both working in another town,” Thief Taeyong pats Nari’s back, hushing her whines. She’s asking for food.

“When do they come home?”

“Whenever there’s enough money to bring home.” It’s probably not wise to tell the strangers that his parents won’t be back for a while. “Nari, you just ate crackers…”

 _Crackers? Is that all they have?_ _Don’t the parents leave them money? And their clothes…they’ll get sick._

Taeyong clears his throat. “Please don’t take this the wrong way, but why exactly…did you steal?”

The second clone’s reaction catches him off-guard. Thief Taeyong scoots away from them ‘til his back is pressed against the wall, panic-stricken. “Are you going to turn me in? I can’t! Nari has no one else! Will you please go now? I don’t–” His head shakes frantically. “I don’t understand! Why do you two look like me?!”

Nari cries louder.

Unbothered by the outburst, firefighter Taeyong tosses the last piece of wood in the fire. “Short version is we’re likely dragged out from a multiverse. There are five Lee Taeyongs, each coming from a different world, I guess and now, the magic gods put us in one. Not because they got bored!” He smiles and points at Jaehyun. “This is his fault, just so you know. But this one right here,” his finger redirects to their prototype, “is the real deal so they need to look for all four clones to get back to their world. The same will probably happen to us.”

Thief Taeyong gulps, looking at them incredulously. “…Please go away.”

“Just ca–”

The trio backs away when the teenager pulls out a knife under the pillow and swings it at them threateningly. “Go away! Get lost!”

“Can’t tell me I didn’t try my best.”

Taeyong shortly glares at the firefighter and turns to the thief. “Please put the knife down… _Taeyong._ ” He inwardly winces. “It’s scaring Nari…”

“You’re scaring her! Get lost before I–”

 _Don’t even know how to de-escalate,_ firefighter Taeyong mentally complains before swiftly charging towards the thief, twisting his arm behind before slamming a hand down his wrist to force him to drop the knife. Jaehyun quickly takes Nari from her brother. “You can actually make this easier for all of us, kid.” Stepping on the knife, he shoves the now sobbing teenager to the ground.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! Please give her back to me,” thief Taeyong tugs on Jaehyun’s pantleg. “I’m gonna listen, okay? Give me back my sister!”

Jaehyun flinches as the first clone picks up the knife and stabs it down the table. Not wanting to watch his boyfriend’s second duplicate cry even more, he hesitantly hands the little girl back to the thief. “Taeyong,” he says, crouching to the teenager’s eye-level. “Can you please help us? We have to find the two remaining clones. We can’t stay here. All of you can’t exist simultaneously for a long time. If we don’t hurry and complete all five, we might vanish.”

The thief hiccups a few times as he stops crying. “What do you mean by that?” In his arms, Nari goes back to asking for more food, patting her tummy. It’s a heartbreaking scene even to the toughest one.

“We just…poof? Like a bubble? We don’t belong in this world. And you don’t want that, do you? Do you wanna be the reason to someone’s inexplicable disappearance?”

Will the end justify Jaehyun’s guilt-tripping? He sure hopes so.

“I just…I just need to go with you?”

Jaehyun nods.

“Can I take Nari with us?”

Taeyong shakes his head apologetically. “It might be dangerous. We don’t know the identities of the remaining clones.” After some pondering, he fishes out his wallet and takes some bills, handing it to the teen. “You can leave her to your neighbor for the meantime. That can buy her enough food.”

Staring at the wad of bills in his hand, thief Taeyong carefully considers what the strangers said. It’s utterly ridiculous but seeing two more of him makes the whole thing a little bit believable. “My best friend lives next door. I guess I can bother him… When should we go?”

“As soon as possible.”

“We might disappear if we can’t complete the five Taeyongs, right? Mister, do you have a phone?”

Taeyong nods.

“Can you please take a photo of me and Nari? There’s a printing shop in the market. I want to have a picture of us when I leave…”

They suppose it’s the least they can do for the poor boy, so Taeyong gladly snaps a few awkward shots. “Okay. Can I put some make-up on you? Nothing outlandish. Just to cover your scar. Do you know that you were caught by the CCTV? The scar is their primary evidence.”

Thief Taeyong blinks and glances at the firefighter whose hand is still gripping the knife’s handle. “You have make-up on?”

Jaehyun stifles his laughter as the firefighter reddens from embarrassment. _Well-deserved._

Surprisingly, Nari doesn’t cry when her brother leaves her in the care of their neighbor. Teen Taeyong gives them all the money, makes them promise that they’ll use it to buy food. His best friend instantly nods, compelled by Jaehyun’s glare.

In his bag are just few pairs of ragged clothes, none of them fit for the cold weather. So Taeyong gives him his scarf – they have to make do with it until they get back to the hotel.

They arrive at the printing shop. Looking around the interior, it reminds Jaehyun of typical antique store in the city. There’s a lot of vintage items – alarm clock, a pile of books that have turned brown from age, car plates and whatnot. There’s a lone fan in the ceiling turning too slow.

“What’s taking so long?” Jaehyun leans against the glass cabinet filled with random collectibles. The owner running the shop retreated earlier in a room, saying that’s where his proper work station is.

“It’s only been five minutes, baby.” Idol Taeyong retouches his thief clone’s make-up – the boy accidentally wiped it away. “We can wait another five minutes.”

Something crashes at side. They all look at the firefighter whose foot, for some reason, is stuck in an overflowing trash bin.

“Don’t mind me, I saw a cockroach.” Firefighter clone kicks the trash again and again, squashing the pest angrily. “Are you sure this isn’t rat-infested?”

“Yes, because you killed a roach, not a rat.”

Thief Taeyong scrunches his nose when he secretly does a high-five with Jaehyun behind the firefighter.

Jaehyun checks his wristwatch. “How many are we printing anyway? Your phone–”

“Don’t worry,” the boy interrupts. “He won’t steal it. The thief is waiting with you.”

Idol Taeyong, the firefighter, and Jaehyun exchange looks. Only the latter has guilt written on his face.

“So tactless, Jeong.” The firefighter mumbles before taking his foot out of the bin and proceeds to look at one of the paintings hanging on the wall near the door to the owner’s work station. It’s incongruous with the whole shop set-up. The piece of art is the kind that only fellow artists would understand, but an outsider would easily call genius. His gaze then catches on the artist’s signature on the bottom right _._ “Do you think that the magic gods are playing tricks on you?” A finger taps on the painting. “Who owns this?”

The door opens and the owner finally comes out holding a small, yellow envelope as well as Taeyong’s phone. “Here are the pictures. Sorry for the delay, my printer had a paper jam.”

“Is this yours?” Firefighter Taeyong taps a knuckle on the painting.

The owner looks at him, then back on the teen that took the pictures. They don’t need to ask to know that the owner’s probably thinking he’s got triplets for customers. “Ah, yes. It was given by a family friend that visited from Ulsan.”

“Ulsan, huh.” Firefighter Taeyong, without warning, blatantly takes the painting off the wall and hands it to the idol. He raises a hand, and the shop owner shuts up. “Your third clone is an artist. From Ulsan. How convenient. Isn’t anyone going to be abroad?”

Idol Taeyong gawks at the piece of art, especially at the delicate sign at the bottom – _L.Taeyong._ “We’re doing really well looking for the duplicates, right?” He smiles at the boy next to him before handing the painting to the owner, bowing once. “Sorry for my brother’s audacity! Guys,” he pulls Jaehyun and teenage Taeyong outside, the firefighter silently following. “We’re going back to the hotel to eat and we’ll head to Ulsan tonight, okay?”

Jaehyun pulls up the ticketing site on his phone. “I’m _this close_ to filing a complaint – why do ticket prices go unreasonably high during holidays?!”

“That close?”

“Yeah, this close!”

Firefighter Taeyong rubs under his nose. “Your fingers are literally pinching the air, but alright. Who’s gonna pay for the kid? You know firefighter wage isn’t that impressive? Jaehyun, cover half of my fare.”

“…And why?”

“Because I didn’t know _this_ would be damn expensive. Magic gods couldn’t have dropped the clones two blocks away?”

Jaehyun rolls his eyes so hard he looks demonically possessed. His left eyelid twitches. “I smell empty arrogance in the air. Does anyone remember who among us complained about the lack of overseas quest? Right, that’s you.”

The two men continue to bicker, belatedly realizing that idol and thief Taeyongs have started walking back to the hotel since Jaehyun’s ticket price quibble.

It’s infinitely colder in the middle of the sea during the height of winter. Taeyong blows vainly on his gloved hands before rubbing them together. The three of them sans Jaehyun are in the upper deck, overlooking the wide waters. It’s black now since it’s nighttime, but it’s a breathtaking royal blue during the day. They lounge by the railing with teen Taeyong munching on a small bowl of mixed fruits.

“How I wish we could look him up. Is he a rising artist? Does he do this freelance? Hey, firefighter.” Taeyong nudges the guy’s side. “Can you search him on Naver?”

Firefighter Taeyong grudgingly types on his phone, sighing as he shows the system error notice. “Regardless of what gadget we use, it won’t tell us anything. I think it senses that the name is cursed. Even Jeong Jaehyun’s doesn’t show up.”

“I didn’t ask you to look him up, though?”

The firefighter grumbles indecipherably under his breath and Taeyong takes it as his cue to talk to the younger clone instead. “How are you?”

Teen Taeyong pops a mango cube in his mouth, eating happily. His hair sways wildly with the wind, causing him to constantly swipe it out of his eyes. “Am good, but I wish Nari was here.” Then his joy transitions to sadness in a snap, turning him into a quiet, crying mess. “I miss my baby sister…”

“Oh, boy.” The idol lends his hankie to the teen so he can wipe his own tears. “I’m sure your friend is taking good care of her. What does Nari like to eat?” Taeyong asks to divert the boy’s thoughts.

“I don’t know, she eats everything.” Having calmed a little, the second clone folds the hankie before returning it. “Everything means crackers, milk…sometimes rice and kimchi.” He blinks a few times to clear his vision. “Where’s your friend? Jaehyun?”

“Napping. And…he’s my boyfriend.”

The thief clone hiccups and looks at the dark sea, biting the corner of a sliced apple. “If we’re clones…does it mean that I’m gonna have a boyfriend too?”

Taeyong almost misses it because of the loud chattering of a group of _ahjummas_ behind them. “I have no idea…?”

Teen Taeyong glances at the firefighter.

“Don’t look at me. Why are you looking at me?”

“Well, it doesn’t matter.” The boy shrugs. “I’m too poor to date.”

As someone who has earned tons of easy money from being a celebrity, Taeyong will never fully understand how it feels to have nothing. He can tell the teen lots of flowery words, deep advices, but it will never be sincere. Even before SM scouted him, life was a whole lot smoother and blessed than this boy’s. “When we get to Ulsan, let’s play. It’s a really rich city so there’s a lot you can do. How old are you exactly?”

“18.”

“Damn, does he look 18?” Taeyong looks at his first clone, and sees that he’s already watching them. “He looks much younger, doesn’t he?”

Tongue poking the inside of his cheek, firefighter Taeyong appraises the second clone. “Kind of. Are you planning to drag him to a casino? He’d need an ID. Ha!” The group of _ahjummas_ flinches at his loud exclamation. “Imagine the look on their faces when they check for IDs and see Lee Taeyong, Lee Taeyong, and Lee Taeyong.” He lets out a sardonic chuckle, gesturing lazily. “Tell them momma was too tired from pushing us out to think of names for her triplets. At least if she told someone to do the dishes while madly waving a fly swatter, all three sons would run to the sink.”

“Did your mom do that?”

“She did. Is there any mother that didn’t? Anyway, the casino’s a hassle. Any establishment that would require ID. Just buy fishcakes and ramen then build a snowman or something. That’s fun enough.”

Taeyong ignores the other’s nonchalance and looks at the boy. “Do you wanna build a snowman?”

Teenage Taeyong grins, unaware of the tiny black seed stuck between his two front teeth.

_Ulsan_ has a smaller population than Seoul but its crowded streets and main roads don’t really align to its numbers. The quartet stands at the end of a pedestrian lane, waiting for the light to change and let them cross the road. Around them are people in different states of busy – chatting, texting, eating, and even reading a book in the middle of the city’s cacophony.

The light changes and they finally walk. A car impatiently honks but the same person reading a book doesn’t even flinch. _What a professional,_ Jaehyun thinks. _She might crash into someone, though._

As if his thoughts were a spell, the woman collides against a lamp post at the end of the lane and Jaehyun shamelessly laughs out loud.

“Funny, huh.”

Jaehyun shuts his mouth and glares at the firefighter. “Yes, it was.”

“The normal thing to do when you see someone hurt is help them.”

“Then why don’t _you?_ ”

Firefighter Taeyong grits his teeth and shoves both hands in his pockets, looking ahead. “Childish.”

A hand wraps snug around Jaehyun’s wrist, tugging gently. “Baby, don’t mind him. But I’m worried – how are we going to look for the third clone? We can’t even look him up online. Someone has to know who he is, right?”

For the sake of his boyfriend, since he’d loathe to cause a scene, Jaehyun switches places with the teenager. He winds an arm behind Taeyong, holding his waist. “The only thing we can possibly do is show people your picture and ask if they know Lee Taeyong. It’ll weird them out, but the most they’ll do is assume you guys are a quadruplet.”

“…So smart,” Taeyong giggles before pinching the younger’s cheek. “But can we please eat first? The ferry menu honestly wasn’t that satisfying. I think the third clone can wait. We’ll die from hunger first than poof like a bubble if we don’t have something light, at least. What time is it?” He checks his phone and nods slowly. “Half past 9. You wanna eat at a restaurant?”

Teen Taeyong zips up the spare jacket that his older and nicer carbon copy loaned him. “It’d be nice to… Will you please ask the cook about the ingredients so I can make it for Nari in the future?”

“Sure. Now, what’s the best restaurant Ulsan can offer?”

Gadgets, especially phones owned by the two Lee Taeyongs and one Jeong Jaehyun actually work absolutely fine when they don’t look up their own names, and even give the best lists of top restaurants in Ulsan for tourists to have their fill at.

This certain list of 10 restaurants with nice reviews has idol Taeyong skimming through the blogger’s top and least favorite dishes. He picks the 8th on the list, which is a walking distance from their current spot. But since they haven’t been to Ulsan before, Google Maps serves to be their reliable friend at the moment.

…Yet after walking for almost half an hour, turning left and right because none of them has a good sense of direction even with Google on loud speaker, that restaurant is still nowhere to be found.

“Are you sure we’re on the right way?” Firefighter Taeyong grouches, displeased. “This doesn’t look like a commercial street anymore!”

Jaehyun looks up at an abandoned three-storey building while chewing on a hangnail. “Eh, maybe we should choose a different restaurant instead? How recent is that list, baby?”

Taeyong scrolls at the top of the site, pouting dejectedly. “2012…”

“2012,” the firefighter parrots in disbelief. “How much did Ulsan change since 2012? It’s been 8 years. They could’ve flipped it upside down a few times already. That blogger could be dead!”

An SUV drives by, parking a few meters away.

“Can you please calm your knickers? Don’t raise your voice at my boyfriend.” Jaehyun snarls at the firefighter. “We know that we begged you to come with us and we’re troubling you a lot but it won’t hurt to keep your temper at bay, right? The kid is more patient with you and he hasn’t eaten anything good since god knows when. And you call me childish?”

Realizing how petulant he’s being, the firefighter scoffs and keeps quiet.

“You said this would be an adventure. It can’t be an adventure if we don’t get lost at least once.” 

Taeyong sniffles before pocketing his phone. “I’m sorry. Let’s just keep walking and eat wherever...” He turns to the teenager and rubs his eyes. “Is it okay if we only eat at McDonald’s?”

“It’s okay. I’m sure their food tastes good, too…” Teen Taeyong smiles, grabbing the straps of his bag.

“Okay, let’s go.”

But they don’t arrive at their destination for they only got to take a few steps forward before they’re simultaneously dragged away by several men, their heads covered with sacks.

They don’t know where they were taken. They can’t cry for help after the endless threats they received from the kidnappers. Until now, the sacks are still on their heads to blind them.

Taeyong tries to move his hands, but to no avail. Someone tied them behind his back and he’s sure that the others are in the same plight. The only thing that barely soothes his fear is knowing that all four of them are together, left kneeling on the cold ground of an unknown place. He raises his head to try and see if there’s light. However, the sack allows zero visibility.

_How unlucky are we gonna be? I’m starting to think this is all worthless. Would it be easier if we just disappeared? They’re most likely going to kill us anyway. I feel bad…I miss my family and friends._

Shouldn’t have gone on a live broadcast, shouldn’t have dragged the clones with them. Shouldn’t have parted the boy and his sister. Too many regrets fill Taeyong’s head at the moment.

Jaehyun, he really needs to hold Jaehyun’s hand right now. If this is the last chance he’ll be with Jaehyun, he should at least get to hold him. But he knows it’s not the younger kneeling next to him. It doesn’t feel like Jaehyun.

_Probably my first clone…I can feel that reckless fury coming off of him. Jaehyun won’t be like this. He’ll be calm and collected, but scared. And more than fearing for himself, he’ll worry about me. So selfless._

_I don’t want to leave Jaehyun…not yet._

The sound of a metal door slamming open and close makes Taeyong flinch and tremble like a leaf. Soon, harsh and loud voices fill the place they are in. He learns to rely on his hearing.

“Sir,” one of the kidnappers greet the newcomer fearfully, knowing what’s to come as a consequence to their mishap.

“…Why did you bring me four people?” The man tears his gaze away from the captives and looks at his lackeys expectantly, wrath already searing in a pair of crazed eyes. “What is this?” He walks closer to the captives, followed by a nervous minion. “What part of ‘Ryu Sang will be there to meet a colleague, bring him to me’ made you think I was talking about not just one, but four goddamn people?!” Fury roars throughout the abandoned building to pin his poor minions on a dartboard. Hopefully, his anger cuts open their skulls and tweezes out a reasonable explanation. “What the _fucking fuck_ is this!?”

Taeyong swallows an itching sob in his throat as the terrifying newcomer kicks something so hard he hears whatever it is fly and hit something else.

The minion chokes within the iron clutch of the man on his neck, but he does nothing to rip that hand away.

“Who the fuck are these, hm? The big boss wants his money back from Ryu Sang. That guy is fucking obese! Do you see any obese here? You don’t, do you? That is _why_ I sent five of you to take him, because he’s fucking huge. You fucking useless fucks.”

More expletives spit from the man’s blunt tongue.

“You had one job and yet you can’t do it right, is that it?” He lets go of his lackey’s neck, gives him enough time to wheeze before giving him a suckerpunch to the throat, sending the guy curled up on the floor in immense pain. “If I don’t hand the money to big boss by the end of _this_ day, you’re not the only ones whose heads will be planted with three bullets, alright?” The other lackeys visibly flinch.

Running a hand through his hair frustratedly, the angry newcomer pulls his gun out of its holster. “Now, I can’t let him kill me because _you_ motherfuckers are too primitive to follow instructions. I came here expecting a clean job, you know?” Low, menacing laughter spills out of him. “This is the only day we can finish this task.”

“I’m sorry, sir,” says the assaulted underling. “Y-you didn’t show us any picture of Ryu Sang, and these guys were at the place he should’ve been.”

The sole of an expensive shoe then digs painfully on the lackey’s chest. “And you dare reason with me. If I missed telling you, you should’ve asked. But you went out acting smart, didn’t you?” One strong kick on the guy’s side forces him to stand up with a limp. “Get your ass back outside and bring the right person to me before I lose my shit and kill all of you.”

“W-what about _them,_ sir?”

Sir, whoever he is, smiles soullessly as he looks at the four captives, waving at the minions dismissively. “Well, we can’t let them go, now that they’ve heard the crap I spilled. Can’t live long enough to tell the story. What happens in Ulsan, stays in Ulsan. Get going.”

Rapid footsteps brought by terror then scurry outside. The door closes again, and then the man finally moves to pick up the chair he kicked and sits lackadaisically in front of the captives. “Heh, pardon my men. They’re not usually this fucking stupid. If it’s any consolation, there’s no one uglier and more disgusting than Ryu Sang. I’m sure all of you look ten times better than him.”

The vicious grin on his face doesn’t leave, only growing wider as he spins the gun. “Which tells me that I should at least get to see who I’m killing in like, two minutes. Who should I shoot first?” He points the gun at each person and does a childish mimicry of a gunshot, whispering _bang_ four times.

Chortling uncontrollably, he reaches for the sack on the first captive and takes it off.

Jaehyun reclines wanting to glare at the man before him, only to gape incredulously. “…Fuck me.”

Surprise crosses the man’s face. “Seriously? Thanks, but no thanks. Got no time for that. But don’t be offended – you are good looking.” He then proceeds to uncover the three others, and each time he removes a sack, the smile on his face falls to its death trap.

When he finally uncovers the last head, he sags in his seat and eyes the third man whose face is exactly the same as his.

“Fuck me.”

Taeyong stares back at the third clone, the pain in his chest subsiding.

Five whole minutes pass in unsettling silence. The pressing matter has been explained, and the gangster is still yet to shoot them for the insanity Taeyong spouted. Yet to be released from the restraints, they remain kneeling on the ground with numbing legs.

“So,” Taeyong begins, carefully gauging the gangster’s reaction. “I don’t know if there’s anything else to say. Don’t kill us, please? We won’t speak of anything to anyone…”

The third clone–technically the fourth and last but he came out earlier than the painter–looks up at him from a trance-like state while mindlessly tapping the gun on his palm. “You know what’s crazier about this?” He tugs the flaps of his blazer close as the winter wind blows through the slit below the door of what looks to be a neglected car parts store. Tires are stacked up in one corner and a lone steering wheel hangs on the wall to the left.

“…What?”

“Me actually believing.” _Gangster_ Taeyong curtly glances at Jaehyun, the latter’s minute change of facial expression doesn’t escape him. “You don’t expect anybody NOT to believe you, do you? There’s four – no, five of _us_. You know why I’m not going batshit mad over this, mm?”

 _‘Cause you’re already past the point of a meltdown, bastard,_ the firefighter internally says as he glares at the mobster sitting laxed before them.

The gangster smiles, gentle and faux. “Because I haven’t been high for a week. I’m sober as hell. But I could be dreaming for all I know. One vivid dream. And when I wake up, I’d realize the hot anger episode earlier was due to me wetting the bed. However, the possibility of me having supernatural twins is more acceptable than pissing my pants at 28. Right, punk?”

Teen Taeyong tears his eyes away from the gangster and trembles even more. He might be the one to piss himself instead.

“But for fuck’s sake, all of us have the same name too. Well, I’m not a very science-y person. Nor am I a believer of Christ – whatever you call the omnipotent dude. This is fucking witchcraft.”

Jaehyun swallows a lump in his throat. “Then what now? You can’t kill us. You might make things worse if you do that.”

“Are you challenging me?” 

“…You’re actually planning to kill us?”

“I was!” Third clone exclaims, exhilarated. “Until I saw _these_ faces! Why would I even kill _me?_ Did I get it right? We’re literally the same – DNA, gene, my atoms are the same as yours.”

Firefighter Taeyong huffs. “So much for not being _science-y._ ”

The two clones hold a quick staring contest before Mobster Taeyong slides the magazine off his gun and empties it, tossing all the bullets over his shoulder. “There, I don’t have any more reasons to shoot you.” The smile on his face drops. “Wait. What am I supposed to call all of you?”

Idol Taeyong blinks, leaning away for a bit. “We don’t…we call each other Taeyong.”

“FOR REAL?” The gangster makes a disgruntled sound as he crosses his leg over the other. “Don’t expect me to play these goddamn mind games with you while calling you, you, and you my own name. You,” he lazily points the empty gun to the youngest copy. “I’ll call you _peewee_.”

“…But why?” Teen Taeyong looks down in alarm, assuming that he’d actually peed himself.

“No fucking reason, peewee.” Gangster Taeyong smirks before looking at the firefighter. His face then sours. “Uh, you. I’m not good with names. You look like a fucking cunt, though. Sounds good? Stop growling. No? Fine. You’ll be _Punch._ ”

Firefighter Taeyong raises a brow. “Elaborate.”

The violent clone leaves his seat to walk around the captives and nudges the firefighter’s bound hands with a foot. “You’re gonna pummel me down the second I let you free. And then you…”

Next up on his ridiculous name-calling is the prototype. “I’ll call you _Sweetie._ ”

“Think of another name!”

“What?” Mobster Taeyong looks at Jaehyun with genuine surprise. “Are you two fucking? Oh shoot, my bad. I just really thought this one looks sweet. As compared to Punch and Peewee. Fine, keep your goddamn name, Yong.”

They initially thought that the man’s done with his crazy antic but then he begins closely appraising their faces, jerking their heads left to right. He gives an unsolicited comment each.

“Too soft. Too pretty. Too fierce.”

The firefighter spits on the ground. “You don’t fucking say–” Words are suddenly backhanded off of him. The sound of it reverberates, beyond humiliating.

‘And you don’t fucking talk to me that way because when I set this place on fire, you’ll be the first one I’ll burn, Mr. Smoke Jumper. Ironic, isn’t it? But let’s backtrack,” the gangster says and returns to his seat. “You said you were actually going to look for the painter and I just coincidentally appeared. Didn’t I just make things easier?” He emphasizes with a sidelong glance at Jaehyun. “Thanks to me, then.”

Fed up of the useless conversation, Idol Taeyong butts in. “Please, please come with us. Help us look for him.”

“Help get him? I can’t simply tell my men to look for a me who hoards art supplies and draws for fun. How sunny.”

“No, but some people are bound to know who he is. He’s an artist. He has to have a studio, or works as a mentor in an art school?” Taeyong sighs. He’s desperate now. They’re all desperate. There’s nothing more he could do than beg and even then, it proves to be so difficult.

The gangster’s gaze somehow softens at the sight of Yong’s head lowering despondently. “…There’s an art school here.”

Idol Taeyong perks up.

“But listen, I have a job to do. You know, Ryu Sang?” Remembering the lackeys’ fuck up makes him chuckle. “Can we _please_ wait for him before we head off? Or are you gonna die soon?”

“…It’d be best if we find him ASAP?”

“Well. The big boss is gonna fucking kill me. Tsk,” the third clone rubs his eye while contemplating. “Let’s go to that school tomorrow. And for the love of your magic gods, pray that I get through this day alive. Motherfucking Ryu Sang…”

Okay. They’re as good as safe now, right…? The cards are being played right – soon, they’ll complete the five Taeyongs and break this curse.

Jaehyun clears his throat. “Erm, can we go now?”

“Huh?” Gangster Taeyong opens one eye, looks at all of them before shooting out of his seat. “Right! Of course, of course, forgetful me. Just shut your mouths when you walk out of here. Did the guys take something from you?” He fishes out a pocketknife and slices through Idol Taeyong’s binds.

‘Yes, actually… They took our bags.”

“Ah, those bags they dumped outside!”

He tends to the firefighter next, unsuspecting of the punch coming his way. Slumped pathetically on the floor, the gangster clutches the side of his face. “I knew it!” He screams and pushes himself up before rudely pointing a finger at the first clone. “Get your fucking things yourself, bastard. Then all of you! Meet me here tomorrow! Same time!”

Ryu Sang is found. They get the money back, the mobster lives. The five of them head to Ulsan Art School, but the artist clone doesn’t work there. Instead, Painter Taeyong runs a recently started studio in the same district, only a fifteen-minute ride away.

The studio is located at the center of Dong district. It has only been in business for a couple of months, so only a few people have heard about it. Upon asking a young lady leaving the establishment carrying an easel, they learn that the artist clone came from a family of painters.

“No, he introduces himself to new students. Are you here to sign up for a class?” The girl smiles at Jaehyun kindly, casting a curious glance at the three men with him wearing masks.

Jaehyun shakes his head. “I just need to talk to him. He’s still inside, right?”

“Yes! He has another class to teach.”

He tells the quartet to follow him after thanking the girl. When they enter, the lady at the reception greets them brightly.

To avoid any possible mishap – considering that this lady works for the painter and might freak out seeing the clones up close, Jaehyun volunteers to inquire.

“Hi, what can I do for you?” The receptionist–Charlotte, her nameplate says–asks him.

“Um, this is where Lee Taeyong works, right?”

Charlotte enthusiastically nods before retrieving a log book. “He owns this studio, sir. Are you looking for him? Do you have an appointment?”

Caught off-guard, Jaehyun straightens and glances at the four Taeyongs behind him who are pretending to be occupied with talking to the potted plants. “I didn’t know I have to set an appointment…”

“Well, you have to. If you’re here for business, he pushed meetings to second week of January. Sir Taeyong wants to focus on his classes for now so he only accommodates students.”

“Signing up as a student will let me see him sooner, then?”

Weirded out by the question, Charlotte frowns before flipping the book open to a certain page. “That’s right, although slots for painting classes this month are already filled. I can get you a slot for January 3, if you want. That’s the earliest available.”

They can’t afford to wait any longer. Unexpected events might happen and keep them from getting their normal lives back.

“I’m sorry, I don’t have that much time.” Jaehyun looks at his right, hearing muffled voices. “Is he teaching?”

“It’s official starting in ten minutes. He orients the students first.”

“Okay. Thanks, Charlotte.” Jaehyun gives her a tight-lipped smile before signaling the Taeyongs to leave the studio. “He’s going to start another class. I forgot to ask the lady what time he’s going to be free. Said I need to set an appointment.”

Idol Taeyong rubs his chest, willing the pain to go quickly. “Then should we just wait until they close for the day?”

The gangster cranes his neck to the side as he spots a door leading to the back, holding up a finger to silence them. “There’s roughly 10 minutes before his next class starts. We can just confront him now instead of waiting here like beggars.”

“Committing crimes is your specialty, so go ahead. That’s just trespassing and harassment.” Firefighter Taeyong shrugs. “What’s the worse that could happen?”

“Oh, you’re asking for the worst.” Gangster Taeyong chuckles and beckons them to follow. Quietly, they tip-toe to the back door, holding their breaths as the third clone slowly turns the knob and carefully enters. The rest of them steps in, and Jaehyun thinks he’d have a heart attack from how nerve-wracking it is.

Another door awaits them. This time, it’s slightly ajar so the gangster takes a furtive peek before looking at them wide-eyed. “There’s a naked guy. Betting a toenail that the last Taeyong specializes in nude paintings.” He shuts up for a moment, face blank before abruptly beaming. “I have an idea.”

“What–”

Foregoing warnings, the gangster swings the door open.

The ten students sit opposite their blank canvas listening to their teacher. Lee Taeyong takes his craft seriously and that itself makes them want to hone their skills.

“Remember not to feel bad if the class ends and you think your work isn’t perfect. There is nothing perfect in the world – everything improves each day, evolving into a better version of them. Start with your mindset ‘cause that’s going to affect how your art comes out.” Painter Taeyong checks the time. “Alright. I’m going to call our model now. Don’t be embarrassed. Be professional.” He rings a bell on the desk, signaling for the model to be brought in.

Soon enough Charlotte enters the classroom, tailed by the model who’s wearing a robe. The sight of the model’s head covered by the robe’s hood piques his amusement. He thanks the lady for her help, dismisses her before facing the model. “Are you ready?”

The model nods before finally letting the robe fall to the floor.

…And then the whole class erupts into panicked and scandalous screams as their teacher collapses, torn between helping the unconscious man and gaping at his nude twin.

Gangster Taeyong doubles over in laughter.

The last Taeyong isn’t the only one that collapsed. Charlotte, too, when she saw the ruckus. Without a choice, Jaehyun tells the students to pack up for the day and just rebook their slots.

Charlotte snoozes continuously, but the painter is in and out of consciousness every time his eyes land on another Taeyong. Waking up the fifth time, he finally gets sick of passing out and decides to fight the shock rippling through him.

“I’m dreaming, I must be dreaming, I–” He cries out in pain as teen Taeyong pinches his cheek. “What was that for?!”

The boy smiles cheekily before taking a bite of his burger, which the firefighter bought while waiting for the last clone to wake up.

“What’s going on? I wasn’t told there were five of us!”

Jaehyun looks at his boyfriend, then back at the painter. “What do you mean? Were you expecting them…?”

“I dreamed of this last year, but I only saw you!” The painter says to his idol counterpart. “Thought there was only a parallel world, but it’s actually a multiverse…”

Clamor breaks out. Onslaught of questions rapidly attack Jaehyun, Idol Taeyong and his painter clone. Even through their loudness, Charlotte remains asleep.

“So, what you are saying is that _this_ was foreshadowed to you, a version of me from another world? It's not a curse? This was meant to happen?”

“Perhaps? I dreamed of this maybe twice and I actually believe in mirrored worlds, all those Physics stuff that nobody wants to take seriously. And how sure are you that _you_ are the actual Lee Taeyong?”

“Do you remember your childhood then?”

The firefighter sighs. “You have these memories of your whole life but you do not feel like you actually went through them. That’s because we came from the mirrored world that could’ve began two, three years ago. This, the celebrity is the actual Lee Taeyong. Now, since you already understand the weight of this situation, you have to cooperate with us to set things right again. They go back to their previous lives; we go back to ours. If not, this will continue to spiral out of control. Remember, they came from the known universe. Once they vanish, the same thing will most likely happen to us.”

Painter Taeyong takes a few deep breaths, exhaling slowly. “Fine. Fine. I really don’t enjoy existing with four more of me of so fine, I’ll help. What do we need to do?”

They all look at Jaehyun.

“I’m gonna be honest with you… The fountain where I made my wish at was demolished. So I have no idea if making a reverse wish at a different fountain would work.”

Silence ensues. All four of Idol Taeyong’s clones look away.

“Then will I see Nari again?” Teen Taeyong grips the photo in his pocket.

Jaehyun rubs a hand down his face. Now that he has the five Taeyongs all together, they arrive at the bridge they have no idea how to cross.

The gangster grumbles under his breath as he slips both hands in his pockets. “Don’t tell me I flashed for nothing.” He says, earning a glare from the last clone.

“What did you do to my model?

“Paid him! Gave him more than what you can give for a day. Don’t worry, I got money.”

“How true is this?”

Idol Taeyong scratches his cheek. “He works for a mob. Listen, guys. I know it seems futile but we will try everything we can. Um…” Taeyong shuts his eyes tight for a moment, ransacking his brain for _any_ solution – then a sharp intake of breath startles them. “The weird coin! There were coins in the fountain! They would keep those coins, right? Also, the thundersnow! If we manage to get the coin and another thundersnow happens, we might break the curse even without the fountain!”

As if on cue, the crack of thunder echoes in the sky so loud that it spurs them into action, no more thinking twice. They scramble to get out and flag down two cabs to take them to the nearest train station.

Back in the studio, Charlotte starts snoring.

Three hours later, they find themselves at the entrance of Seoul’s City Hall. Jaehyun blocks the way with arms stretched out before scurrying to the side and peeking at the reception area, squinting. “I got beef with that Tweety Bird over there. See that lazy receptionist?” Five Lee Taeyongs look at the direction he’s pointing. Idol Taeyong starts chewing on his thumb. “She’s a horrible woman. I don’t wanna talk to her.”

The gangster rubs his arms, looking around. “This is giving me goosebumps. Isn’t there a thief here? You, you kid. They’re going to turn us in.”

“Stop scaring him! Does this look like a police station to you?” Jaehyun pulls the shaky teen close to him and taps the painter’s shoulder. “You, since you’re the one with the shortest exposure to this madness, please do us a favor and talk to her, alright? Just tell her you need to know where the coins are from that demolished fountain.”

Painter Taeyong looks at each of them. “Do I have any other options?” It’s not that hard – he’s not socially awkward. But the smudges of paint on his clothes make him look like they’re going to call for security to drag him out instead. “Can’t someone else do it?”

“NO.”

“Okay! God, there was no need to answer in unison.” Painter Taeyong picks his ear with his pinky and with a deep breath, storms inside the city hall hoping no one else gives him attention. “Excuse me–”

“You again!?” The receptionist exclaims, causing a few people to look their way. Painter Taeyong mentally curses the hell out of Jeong Jaehyun. “You were the one with that rude guy!”

“Uh,” the painter scans the lobby for a CCTV and chuckles lifelessly. “Please keep your voice down, miss. I just want to know–”

“The fountain is gone! Look for another–”

“Please shut your mouth, Tweety Bird or I’ll snip that blood red beak of yours.” The last clone grits his teeth, leans against the desk and whispers. “The coins. Where did they take the coins in that fountain?”

His annoyance dwindles when she starts tearing up. “H-hey…”

“Gosh,” she sniffles, wiping the tears collecting in her eyes. “I didn’t sign up for this job to be insulted like this. Do you have any idea how stressful it is talking to different kinds of people everyday? They always seem to be angry about something and when they see me, they think they could pour it out on me just because I can’t do anything about it. I always have to adjust, keep smiling even when they’re treating me like crap! Can’t I have bad days, too? I didn’t mean to be sarcastic to your stubborn friend.”

Painter Taeyong anxiously bounces his leg, glaring at a peeping Jeong Jaehyun while muttering all kinds of spells that will make him suffer a week-long diarrhea. “Okay, if I apologize sincerely, will you answer me?”

The lady appears to consider it before nodding slowly.

“I’m sorry. You don’t look like Tweety Bird. Up close,” the fourth clone leans closer with a teasing smile. “You actually look like Mila Kunis.”

That seems to do the trick. She stutters, completely taken aback, before clearing her throat. The painter takes note of her now pinkish cheeks. “Really…?”

Swallowing the bile in his throat, he smiles and tilts his head. Flattery has to get them somewhere. “The coins?”

“Oh,” she pulls herself together, straightening her blouse. “They’re at the park. Scattered in the bushes ‘cause the mayor thinks it’s good luck.”

“Bushes? Like, everywhere?”

“I’m not sure, but that’s what they said.”

“…Great. Thank you, Korean Mila Kunis. I owe you one.” He comically salutes before rushing out the city hall and clutching the front of Jaehyun’s shirt. “You’re an asshole. Don’t be an asshole to anybody because you don’t know what they’re going through, alright? Now let’s haul our asses to the park because they scattered the coins in the damn bushes.”

Jaehyun stutters out a response and holds his boyfriend’s hand as they run to the park, casting a glance back at the city hall.

_I’m sorry, Miss Tweety. I’ll include you in the Thanks To part of the next album._

The whole park is covered in snow. In spite of that, the five Taeyongs and Jaehyun tirelessly hunt for the weird coin with an embossed cross. The firefighter, perennially impatient, even begins shoveling thick snow out of the way with bare hands just to hasten the task. Teen Taeyong diligently checks each bush, picking up coins he sees and pocketing them if they’re not the one they need. He can use the money for him and Nari.

Swearing every now and then, the mobster makes a mess in the park as he uproots some bushes and throws them aside when he doesn’t find what he’s looking for. Like the first clone, he severely lacks tolerance for work that cannot be handled the way he knows how to.

Painter Taeyong quietly gathers all of the coins he sees until he has a handful before sitting at the side to check them one by one.

Lightning strikes overhead.

Idol Taeyong forces himself to keep searching even though people are already giving them funny looks. He hears someone make fun of them, not mincing their words as they call them names. It’s fine, he’s used to it. Used to people talk bad about him without knowing the truth. He’s a celebrity – he eats groundless rumors for breakfast.

When another passerby openly calls them lunatics, Jaehyun quickly makes a snowball and throws it at the back of the guy’s head unremorsefully. “Come at me, you nincompoop! What, can’t make snowballs as round as the one I threw on your big head?” Ready to get into a serious snowball fight, Jaehyun starts making another. “Come here – come back! Why are you running? Why are you running!?”

Wow. Even at times like this, he can’t help but be a crackhead.

Beside him, Taeyong laughs. “What the hell, stop that. Just keep looking, will you? You need to make another wish soon.”

Jaehyun looks at the shorter man fondly and nods, scurrying to a bush to search for the coin.

Teen Taeyong picks up more coins, quickly pocketing them. He’s long stopped checking if they’re real. More coins to collect, more food to feed Nari. That’s the only thing running in his head. The main problem floating over them begins to fray in his mind.

However, just as he’s about to transfer to another corner, he picks up a coin that feels different from the others. He flips it over and sees a cross.

“I found it!” He shouts frantically, running towards the others. “I found the weird coin!” His excitement causes him to trip on his own foot, but the firefighter luckily catches him on time. Despite the clumsiness, he thanks the older clone with a giggle before handing the coin to Jaehyun. “Make a wish! I miss Nari!”

_The coin. They miraculously found the coin. Jaehyun has to make a wish and soon their lives will be back to normal. Soon, he’ll wake up to a day being the only Lee Taeyong in Korea._

“Wait,” Idol Taeyong says and gulps, looking at his clones. Heart stuck in his throat, he can’t help the myriad of emotions swirling in his chest. He’s frightened – the wish might not work at all. He’s excited – this whole adventure is traumatizing. But most of all, he’s sad. Over the course of the short time he’s been with his duplicates, he’s grown to be attached despite the initial horror and distress.

They’re so alike in face and name, but so different in everything else. He doesn’t know when it happened, but he doesn’t even see them as another Taeyong anymore. It already feels like having actual quintuplet siblings. In any case, the painter that he just met a few hours ago is already a memory he won’t forget.

“I just want to thank all of you for helping Jaehyun and I. I guess convincing you to come with us had been easier than expected because we were meant to do this together. The magic gods might have forgotten to warn us except for–”

“Flash.”

Taeyong looks at his gangster clone. “Eh?”

“I named him Flash because you know, he saw all of me.”

“Pervert.” The painter says before stomping on the gangster’s foot.

Ignoring their bickering, Taeyong goes on. “If this works, I’ll certainly miss all of you. Be more patient,” he says to the firefighter. “Take care of your family,” he says to the teen. “Quit the gang, and keep reaching your dreams.” He says to the mobster and the painter. “And if it fails, I hope we continue to work together.”

Firefighter Taeyong purses his lips and glances at Jaehyun. “That’s touching. But I really don’t wanna see your face anymore. So please,” he eyes the coin. “Do us a favor and let us live normally.”

Jaehyun’s fingers curl into his palm before his eyes close. Idol Taeyong asks his duplicates to hold hands. He stands next to the firefighter who pulls his hand away, and clings to his arm instead.

The five of them huddle close as they wait for Jaehyun to break the curse.

“Magic gods, remember the wish I made? I’m here to make another. Please listen to me.” Jaehyun says. “I wish for only one Taeyong in my life, my real Taeyong, and return us to the worlds we truly belong…” He pinches the coin and kisses it.

The sky responds to his wish with a bolt of lightning and claps of thunder.

“Stop fucking for once and see us out, you horny rabbits!”

Groggily, Jaehyun untangles himself from Taeyong and sits up. The knocking grows louder and infuriatingly faster as he rubs sleep out of his eyes.

 _Why does it feel like this already happened?_ Jaehyun wonders as he looks around the room. It certainly feels like it already happened. Yuta knocking on the door, and he would be answering it to tell them that rabbits do fuck a lot but there are times that they don’t, and this –

Jaehyun scrambles out of bed. “Hyung, Taeyong hyung! Wake up!” He jostles his boyfriend awake, grinning. “Baby, the wish worked! We rewound the time!”

Although he was rudely woken up, Taeyong can’t find it in him to get annoyed. He lunges forward, tackling his younger boyfriend to a tight hug. “We did it! We’re back! Oh my god,” failing to contain himself, Taeyong kisses him hard before jumping out of bed and swinging the door open. “My friends! My best friends!”

Johnny, Yuta and Doyoung exchange weird looks as they accept their leader’s embrace.

“Uh, what’s going on? Had some good dicking last night?” The Japanese shamelessly asks as he eyes the couple.

Jaehyun’s grin only widens. “Oh, we got fucked real good, hyung. But don’t worry! We’re just really happy to see all of you, hehe. Aren’t you guys on your way?”

“Yeah, we just wanted to ask if you’re going to see us out.”

The doorbell rings.

“That’s the manager. Let’s go, let me help with the luggage!” Jaehyun tells Taeyong to put some pants on.

Now decently clothed, Taeyong follows them out of the dorm and happily chats his members in the elevator until they get in the van. “Make sure to call or text, alright? And we’ll hide your package, Doyoung!”

“You better, or I’m gonna get in Jungwoo’s bed with my shoes on.”

The couple watches the van speed away before returning to the dorm, fingers interlocked.

Taeyong pulls Jaehyun to the couch and immediately climbs his lap. It’s his permanent seat, after all. “Baby, I can’t believe we made it!” Tiny, soft kisses are then peppered on Jaehyun’s face. “I’m so happy I might cry! Do you think they made it back to their worlds, too?”

Tilting his head to get more kisses from his tiny boyfriend, Jaehyun hums and cups the older’s butt. “I sure hope so. Not gonna lie, it was pretty fun. Crazy fun. But the type I will not wanna go through again.” He says before taking Taeyong’s lips with his, kissing him slowly.

“Mm, me too. Don’t wanna. Let’s just order some pizza tonight? No walks at the park for the meantime, please.”

“Alright.”

Parks and wishing fountains will be their kind of horror house from now on.

Jaehyun pokes his head out of the fridge when he hears soft knocks on the front door. “Baby, I think it’s the pizza!”

“Please get it, Jaehyunie! I’m looking for my Christmas socks! The money’s on the couch!”

“Okay,” he takes a bottled water before closing the fridge and drinks from it as he swings the door open.

“Pizza delivery–”

He spits the water out in shock. Who could blame him, when standing before him is his pizza delivery guy clone?

_Fin._

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! 
> 
> Oh no, what's with the ending? What do you think happened? Why is there a Jaehyun clone now? *wondering emoji*


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